Much of Qualcomm's recent high-profile efforts have been devoted to producing mobile chipsets for cell phones that will connect to the 5G networks being built by carriers around the world. But 4G, also known as LTE, is not going away anytime soon. In some parts of the world, 4G will remain the fastest way to connect. Therefore, Qualcomm continues to produce chipsets that offer many of the features found in its other processors, just without the 5G connectivity.

To that end, Qualcomm has announced a trio of new mobile processors that will enhance the performance of phones not built to work on 5G networks: the Snapdragon 720G, Snapdragon 662, and Snapdragon 460, which offer new artificial intelligence engine, support for improved camera features, faster performance, and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, which they promise to bring to mid-range and budget smartphones launched this year.

This is more big news in other parts of the world, where LTE will continue to be the way people connect to cellular networks for some time. (There's a reason Qualcomm announced these new chipsets at an event in India on January 21.) However, Qualcomm executives have said that the mobile processors announced today could also be found in U.S.-bound phones, so if you tend to buy lower-end smartphones rather than higher-end flagship devices, the Snapdragon 720G, 662, and 460 are worth knowing what they plan to offer.

Qualcomm says it has focused on connectivity, artificial intelligence, and entertainment on all three processing platforms. If you saw last month's announcement of the Snapdragon 865 for 5G-enabled flagship phones, you will recognize many of these same guiding principles. All three chipsets work with Wi-Fi 6, a wireless networking standard that promises to handle faster, more bandwidth-hungry multiple devices more efficiently. Each system-on-chip features a hexagonal digital signal processor, the first time that a hexagonal digital signal processor has been included in a chipmaker's 4-series chipset for budget smartphones.

Let's take a closer look at what each new Snapdragon processor promises:

Snapdragon 720G: Like the Snapdragon 765G announced in December, the Snapdragon 720G is aimed at gaming. (Unlike the 765G, however, this system-on-chip does not have an integrated 5G modem.) In other words, the hardware and software optimizations of Snapdragon Elite Gaming, which are typically found in high-end phones, will be part of the Snapdragon 720G-powered handsets.

Other features of the Snapdragon 720G include Qualcomm's 5th generation AI engine, the ability to capture 4K video or 192 megapixel photos with the chipset's Spectra 350L ISP, support for download speeds up to 800 Mbps Snapdragon X15 LTE modem, and more. The chip's Kryo 465 CPU promises a 60% performance improvement over Qualcomm's previous generation, while the Adreno 618 GPU touts a 75% performance increase.

Snapdragon 662: Phones running on the Snapdragon 662 platform can support a three-lens camera array thanks to the Spectra 340T, which also supports the HEIF file format. (It will also feature a third-generation AI engine and an X11 modem with a download speed of 390 Mbps.

Snapdragon 460: Like the Snapdragon 662, the Snapdragon 460 can support a triple camera setup thanks to the Spectra 340 ISP. It will also be the first Series 4 chipset to feature Hexagon DSP and will add a third-generation Qualcomm AI engine.

But the buzz here seems to be about performance gains: the Kryo 240 CPU is 70% more capable than the previous generation, and the Adreno 610 GPU is aiming for a 60% improvement in graphics performance.

Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 720G is already available and will be in phones in the first three months of 2020. Expect phones with Snapdragon 662 and 460 to be available by the end of the year.