As promised, Qualcomm has unveiled its latest chipset for Android smartphones today. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, as the name says, comes as a slightly less powerful version of the premium Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, meant for flagship killers.
Crafted on a 4nm architecture, the 8s Gen 3’s CPU configuration consists of a Cortex-X4 prime core clocked at 3.0GHz, accompanied by four performance cores operating at 2.8GHz, and three efficiency cores running at 2.0GHz. As for memory, it supports UFS 4.0 type storage and up to 24GB of LPDDR5x RAM with 4,200MHz frequency. Connectivity options include USB 3.1 Gen 2 over USB-C.
The table below shows how the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 compared to the regular 8 Gen 3 and Gen 2.
| Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 | Â Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Node | TSMC 4nm | TSMC 4nm | TSMC 4nm |
| CPU (Prime) | 1x Cortex-X3 @ 3.2/3.36GHz | 1x Cortex-X4 @ 3.0GHz | 1x Cortex-X4 @ 3.3/3.4GHz |
| CPU (Big) | 2x Cortex-A715 @ 2.8GHz 2x Cortex-A710 @ 2.8GHz |
4x Cortex-A720 @ 2.8GHz | 3x Cortex-720 @ 3.15GHz 2x Cortex-720 @ 2.96GHz |
| CPU (Small) | 3x Cortex-A510 @ 2.0GHz | 3x Cortex-A520 @ 2.0GHz | 2x Cortex-A520 @ 2.3GHz |
| RAM | up to 24GB LPDDR5x 4,200MHz | up to 24GB LPDDR5x 4,200MHz | up to 24GB LPDDR5x 4,800MHz |
| Storage | UFS 4.0 | UFS 4.0 | UFS 4.0 |
| USB | USB 3.1 | USB 3.1 Gen 2 | USB 3.1 Gen 2 |
| GPU | Adreno 740 | Adreno 735 | Adreno 750 |
| 5G modem | X70 | X70 | X75 |
| ISP | triple 18-bit | triple 18-bit | triple 18-bit |
| Video | 8K HDR @ 30fps 4K @ 120fps |
4K HDR @ 60fps 1080p @ 240fps |
8K HDR @ 30fps
4K @ 120 fps |
This iteration diverges significantly from a mere binned version of the 8 Gen 3. While featuring the Cortex-X4 core at a reduced clock speed, it also incorporates 4 large cores and 3 small cores, establishing a 1+4+3 configuration. In contrast, the original 8 Gen 3 chip adopts a 1+5+2 configuration.
Furthermore, this chipset opts for the older Snapdragon X70 5G modem over the X75 variant. Nevertheless, it is primed for the forthcoming Wi-Fi 7 standard, promising enhanced bandwidth and reduced latency for smartphones. Regarding audio capabilities, it supports 15-bit 44.1kHz lossless wireless streaming and Auracast technology.
Much like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the 8s Gen 3 supports on-device generative AI processing and is capable of running popular AI models such as Gemini Nano, Llama 2, and more. The AI processing is not as fast as 8 Gen 3, close enough.
It also brings flagship-grade camera performance thanks to its triple 18-bit ISP which works alongside the Hexagon NPU for image processing. This helps boost image quality in the dark and also speeds up face unlocking and QR code scanning.
This ISP is capable of running a triple 36MP camera setup with no shutter lag at 30 fps, or a single 108MP camera with no shutter lag. The maximum image resolution it can reach is 200MP and it supports 10-bit HEIC and HEVC images and videos, with 4K HDR videos going up to 60fps. 8K and 4K 120 fps video recording is limited to more premium models.
The gaming side is covered by the same Adreno GPU that is capable of hardware-level ray tracing as well as Adreno Frame Motion Engine 2.0 which works like Nvidia’s DLSS tech to double FPS without increasing power draw. Snapdragon Game Super Resolution adds more detail without costing extra.
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 can run 4K displays at 60Hz, a 2K display at 144Hz, and can alter refresh rates between 1Hz to 240Hz.
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 has already been chosen by several prominent smartphone manufacturers for their upcoming models. Among them are Honor, iQOO, Realme, and Xiaomi, with the likelihood of Redmi devices also adopting this chip.
While the official announcements regarding these phones are anticipated “in the coming months,” there’s a growing anticipation that the unveiling may happen sooner than expected.
