Qualcomm Expands Snapdragon 8 Series to Cover More Price Points
Mar 18, 2024, 1:30 AM by Rich Brome
Qualcomm has revealed the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 Mobile Platform, an expansion of the 8 series to a slightly more affordable price point. Traditionally, the 8 series (like the new 8 Gen 3) powered top-end "flagship" phones, and the 7 series chips powered "affordable flagship" phones one tier below that. The "s" designator in 8s represents an expansion of the Snapdragon naming scheme to create a new sub-tier between "8" and "7" or "7+". The specs of the new Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 are effectively a blend of the current 8 Gen 3 and last year's 8 Gen 2. Qualcomm says that AI and camera are two areas where Qualcomm hasn't compromised, bringing over nearly the full capabilities of the 8 Gen 3. This includes the ability to perform generative AI and run multi-modal AI models with up to 10 billion parameters, all on-device. The 8s Gen 3 borrows several other features from full 8 Gen 3, including Arm Cortex-X4 architecture for the prime CPU core, support for up to 24 GB of RAM, USB version 3.1 Gen 2, and Bluetooth 5.4. Other specs are similar to last year's 8 Gen 2, such as an X70 modem (instead of X75) and 4200 MHz maximum RAM speed (instead of 4800). One area that puts it below both the 8 Gen 2 and 8 Gen 3 is video capture, which tops out at 4K instead of 8K. Qualcomm expects the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 to appear in phones launching globally, and soon (in a few months or even weeks.) Read on for a more detailed comparison between the 8 Gen 2, 8s Gen 3, and 8 Gen 3.
source: Qualcomm
| Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prime core tech. | Arm Cortex-X3 | Arm Cortex-X4 | Arm Cortex-X4 |
| Prime core speed | up to 3.2 GHz | up to 3.0 GHz | up to 3.4 GHz |
| CPU core layout | 1 prime, 4 performance, 3 efficiency | 1 prime, 4 performance, 3 efficiency | 1 prime, 5 performance, 2 efficiency |
| Graphics | ray-tracing | ray-tracing | ray-tracing with Global Illumination |
| On-Device Generative AI | yes | yes | "world's fastest" |
| Always-On AI | dual NPU | dual NPU with INT4 precision | dual NPU with INT4 precision |
| Always-On Camera (low-power ISP) | yes | yes | Dual (front and back) |
| Video capture | up to 8K HDR | up to 4K HDR | up to 8K HDR |
| Storage | UFS 4.0 | UFS 4.0 | UFS 4.0 |
| Max. RAM | 16 GB | 24 GB | 24 GB |
| Max. RAM speed | 4,200 MHz | 4,200 Mhz | 4,800 MHz |
| Cellular modem | X70 (3GPP rel. 17) | X70 (3GPP rel. 17) | X75 (3GPP rel. 18) |
| Local radio | FastConnect 7800 | FastConnect 7800 | FastConnect 7800 |
| Wi-Fi | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 (with LE Audio and dual antennas) | 5.4 (with LE Audio and dual antennas) | 5.4 (with LE Audio and dual antennas) |
| USB | v3.1 | v3.1 Gen 2 | v3.1 Gen 2 |
| XPAN | no | no | yes |
| SPU for Android Strongbox (security) | no | no | yes |
| Manuf. process | 4nm | 4nm | 4nm |
About the author, Rich Brome:Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.
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