Qualcomm was known for announcing a “plus” version of its flagship chipset each year. However, this year’s story is different. Qualcomm is going all-in for a toned-down version of its latest flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The company has just unveiled the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, which will power the upcoming upper mid-range smartphones in the market.
Now, the question arises: How much of a toned-down version is the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3? In this comparison, we will compare the CPU, GPU, NPU, benchmarks, and other key components of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 to its flagship counterpart, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Let’s get started.
Specs Comparison: Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs 8 Gen
| Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | |
| Process Node | TSMC 4nm | TSMC 4nm |
| CPU | Octa-core Kryo CPU 1x 3.0GHz (Cortex-X4) 4x 2.8GHz (Cortex-A720 likely) 3x 2.0GHz (Cortex-A520 likely) | Octa-core Kryo CPU 1x 3.3GHz (Cortex-X4) 3x 3.2GHz (Cortex-A720) 2x 3.0GHz (Cortex-A720) 2x 2.3GHz (Cortex-A520) |
| GPU | Adreno 735 GPU (likely) HW Ray Tracing AFME 2.0 | Adreno 750 HW Ray Tracing with Global Illumination AFME 2.0 Unreal Engine 5 Lumen |
| NPU | Hexagon NPU Run AI models up to 10B parameters | Hexagon NPU Run AI models up to 10B parameters |
| Camera Support | Cognitive ISP, Triple 18-bit ISPs Up to 200MP photo capture 108MP ZSL, 64+36 ZSL, 36+36+36 ZSL 4K HDR video capture at 60 FPS | Cognitive ISP, Triple 18-bit ISPs Up to 200MP photo capture 108MP ZSL, 64+36 ZSL, 36+36+36 ZSL 8K HDR video capture at 30FPS Night Vision Video Capture with AI Noise Reduction |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, LE | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, LE |
| Modem | Snapdragon X70 5G Modem Peak Download Speed 5 Gbps Peak Upload Speed 3.5 Gbps | Snapdragon X75 5G modem Up to 10 Gbps Peak Download Up to 3.5 Gbps Peak Upload |
| Storage / RAM Support | UFS 4.0 LPDDR5X memory up to 4200MHz | UFS 4.0 LPDDR5X memory up to 4800MHz |
| AV1 Codec Support | HW-accelerated AV1 Decode only | HW-accelerated AV1 Decode only |
| NavIC Support | Yes | Yes |
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs 8 Gen Comparison: CPU
Let’s talk about the CPU first. Both the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and the 8 Gen 3 have an octa-core Kryo CPU with a slightly different architecture. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 has a prime Cortex-X4 core that’s clocked at 3.0 GHz, four Cortex-A720 performance cores clocked at 2.8 GHz, and three Cortex-A520 performance cores clocked at 2.0 GHz.
As you can probably tell, the CPU cores are slightly underclocked when compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The clock speeds are more in line with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with the prime core being slightly underclocked, again.
For perspective, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 features a prime Cortex-X4 core clocked at 3.3 GHz, three Cortex-A720 performance cores clocked at 3.2 GHz, two additional Cortex-A720 cores clocked at 3.0 GHz, and finally, two Cortex-A520 efficiency cores clocked at 2.3 GHz.
Both the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and 8 Gen 3 are built on the same TSMC 4nm process that delivers exceptional performance and efficiency. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is definitely more powerful than the 8s Gen 3 with higher clock frequencies and more number of performance cores.
So, where does the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 sit? The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, interestingly, sits somewhere below the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and above the recently announced Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3. It is not even close to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in terms of CPU performance.
ALSO READ: Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 could beat A18 Pro SoC with its latest storage solution
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs 8 Gen 3 Comparison: GPU
Although we don’t have much information on the GPU of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, rumors do suggest that it is powered by the Adreno 735 GPU. In contrast, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is powered by the Adreno 750 GPU.
So, what’s the difference between the two GPUs? Basically, the Adreno 735 is an underclocked version of the Adreno 750 GPU. Comparing the GPU scores in the AnTuTu benchmark, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 scores 550K, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 scores 890K, marking a significant difference of approximately 61%.
In other words, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 delivers about 62% of the GPU performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Evidently, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is, again, nowhere near the GPU performance of its elder sibling.
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 boasts advanced gaming features such as Hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing, the Adreno Frame Motion Engine 2 (AFME), Shadow Denoiser, HDR gaming, and Super Resolution.
However, it lacks support for Unreal Engine 5 Lumen Global Illumination and Reflections System, which could have an impact on the gaming experience. Despite this omission, users can expect high-quality visuals, although not at the same level as those achieved with Global Illumination support.
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs 8 Gen 3 Comparison: Devices & Benchmarks
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is a fairly new chipset and, as expected, there are no devices in the market using this chipset available right now. However, a few upcoming devices have been teased in China including the Xiaomi CIVI 4 Pro, realme GT Neo 6, and an unknown Redmi phone.
ALSO READ: Realme Confirms The Processor On The GT Neo 6 SE: Check Details Here
Thankfully for us, the benchmarks of the realme GT Neo 6 have been leaked. The realme GT Neo 6, powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, scores a respectable 1,846,775 in AnTuTu, of which 442,658 points are contributed by the CPU, and 552,755 points by the GPU.
Comparing it to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which scores over 2 million points in AnTuTu, with 490K points contributed by the CPU and 890K by the GPU, reveals a significant difference. While the CPU scores of the two chipsets may seem quite similar, the GeekBench scores tell a different story.
In GeekBench, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 scores 1638 in the single-core test and 3991 in the multi-core test, whereas the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 scores 2210 in the single-core test and 7336 in the multi-core test. Evidently, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 outperforms the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, particularly in multi-core performance.
ALSO READ: Motorola India Teases a New Smartphone with Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 SoC: Might be Edge 50 Fusion
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs 8 Gen 3 Comparison: ISP
When comparing the imaging capabilities of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and the 8 Gen 3, both feature a Cognitive ISP and Triple 18-bit ISPs, enabling advanced imaging capabilities like semantic segmentation. The 8s Gen 3 supports up to 200MP photo capture and various Zero Shutter Lag (ZSL) configurations, including 108 MP ZSL, 64 MP + 36 MP ZSL, and 3X 36 MP ZSL, just like the 8 Gen 3.
Additionally, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 can capture 4K HDR video at 60fps while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 goes a step ahead with support for 4K HDR at 120fps or 8K HDR at 30fps. Also, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 can only do 1080p Slow Motion video at 240fps while the 8 Gen 3 can do 720p Slow Motion video at 960fps.
Both chipsets support Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG, 240 Hz to 1 Hz variable refresh rate, and AV1 decoding. Unfortunately, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 lacks the Night Vision Video Capture which reduces noise using AI, enhancing low-light video recording capabilities. What the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 does offer is Low Light Vision (LLV) which allows for better low-light camera performance.
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 also includes some of the already existing features on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, such as the Bokeh Engine 2, Pro Sight Video Capture, Video Super Resolution, Multi-Frame Noise Reduction (MFNR), and Locally Motion Compensated Temporal Filtering.
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs 8 Gen 3 Comparison: NPU
NPU or the Neural Processing Unit has become just as important as the CPU and GPU these days. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 features a similar Hexagon NPI that can run AI models up to 10B parameters that enable features like Gen AI assistant and Gen AI image generation.
However, don’t expect the on-device generative AI performance on the 8s Gen 3 to be as fast as the 8 Gen 3. This is because the CPU and the GPU are also responsible for on-device AI capabilities on an SoC, where the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 holds a clear advantage.
ALSO READ: Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 Chip Brings Generative AI to Affordable Phones
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs 8 Gen 3: Memory & Connectivity
Both the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and the 8 Gen 3 support up to 24 GB LPDDR5X memory clocked at a maximum frequency of 4200 MHz and 4800 MHz, respectively. As for storage speeds, both max out at UFS 4.0 and USB 3.1 Gen 2.
As for connectivity, both chipsets support FastConnect 7800 which packs in Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 5.4. Additionally, both chipsets support 5G NR Sub-6 GHz and mmWave.
However, the 5G modems on the two are different. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 uses the older Snapdragon X70 modem, used on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 uses the latest Snapdragon X75 modem.
FAQs
Is the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 based on the 3nm node process?
No, the Snapdragon Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is based on TSMC’s 2nd-gen 4nm node process which is the same as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
Is the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 more powerful than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3?
No, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is not more powerful than Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Instead, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is the more powerful chipset, particularly in terms of CPU and GPU performance.
What is the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 AnTuTu score?
Per the leaked scores of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3-powered realme GT Neo 6, the AnTuTu score of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is around 1,846,775.
When will Qualcomm release the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4?
Qualcomm has not announced a specific release date for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 yet. However, based on their last year’s release, it is expected to be launched in October 2024.
Conclusion
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 provides an attractive combination of performance and features for smartphones in the upper mid-range price range. While it may not match the flagship-level performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in certain aspects such as CPU and GPU power, it still delivers great performance and generative AI features for those seeking something flagship-level at a lower price.
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