Qualcomm, considered the most high-end manufacturer of smartphone chips, has just released the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, and it offers a lot, especially for manufacturers who want almost as much power but not as much to pay per chip.
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 has already been rumored to be inside many of the upcoming devices we've covered, and now we know a lot more about what it can do in gaming, photography, and even AI. Let's dive into the details of this new chip.
Smartphone Manufacturers Are Big On AI, And So Is The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3
Artificial Intelligence has been a buzzword in the smartphone circle before, but it never caught fire like now. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is fresh off the presses, and you've guessed it. AI is a big part of what makes this new chip so special. However, keep in mind that the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is a slightly castrated version of the Snapdragon 8, though since it is newer, it has some perks that the 8 Gen 3 does not have.
First, both chips are built on 4nm processes and have eight CPU cores. However, all the equivalent cores in the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 are clocked lower than those in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The modem is also less capable, though you'll still get Wi-Fi 7 support. The GPU gets downgraded to the Adreno 735 from the Adreno 750 in 8 Gen 3, though you'll still have raytracing support. Video performance will take a slight hit, too, as 4K at 60 fps will be the next max (instead of 8K at 30 fps like on the actual flagship chip).
Now, then, that's enough on the performance side of things, so let's talk about what the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 brings to the table, especially with generative AI, since there's a huge trend around that at the moment. The chip will natively support many of the most popular large language models, such as Meta's Llama 2 and Google's Gemini Nano, which should mean much better performance when running tasks involving those.
On top of that, the triple 18-bit ISP paired with the NPU in the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 will allow for generative AI camera benefits like better nighttime photography and filling in the edges of a rotated or expanded image. It's also great if you're into AI image generation.
A Lot Of Manufacturers Like What They See And Are Getting Ready To Adopt The Chip
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 has already been rumored to be the chip of choice in many smartphones expected to come out in the next few months, such as the Realme GT Neo 6 and the iQOO Neo9 Racing Edition. However, Qualcomm also mentioned how brands like Honor, Xiaomi, and Redmi plan to adopt the chip.
In fact, Xiaomi will have the first device on shelves that uses this chip, and its announcement is expected this month.
