What you need to know
- A new rumor suggests the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 may clock a speed of 3.7GHz.
- This could be due to its new prime Cortex-X4 core.
- The chip could contain a 1+5+2 core structure: one super-large core, five large cores, and two small cores.
Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 chipset pushed flagship phones up another notch in terms of speed and overall performance for our apps. A new leak from Chinese news outlet MyDrivers suggests the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile platform will push its frequency up even further to 3.7GHz (via GSMArena). Allegedly, Qualcomm’s single prime Cortex-X4 core is responsible for this newfound performance increase.
The outlet also cited the prominent Weibo leaker Digital Chat Station, who noted that the forthcoming chip may be in line for some substantial internal changes. The SD 8 Gen 3 is apparently labeled as model SM8650 and may adopt a 1+5+2 internal architecture. Considering the design change, this means the new chip could have one super-large core, five large cores, and 2 small cores.
This rumor on its internal design doubles down on a two-month-old rumor which suggested the same core architecture.
Another upgrade could be in the cards, as well, as the chip is rumored to feature an Adreno 750 GPU. It also appears that Qualcomm will continue to allow TSMC manufacturing privileges for the chip but will be implementing a processing upgrade. It is suggested that the chip could go from N4 to N4P which is around 6% more efficient than the previous process.
Taking the leaks at face value, the previous Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 prime Cortex-X3 core clocked a speed of 3.2GHz. Samsung’s Galaxy S23 series launched with its own exclusive variant of the flagship chip but its speed was only slightly higher than the vanilla version. Internally, the SD 8 Gen 2 contained a 1+4+3 architecture. If the rumor mill proves accurate, Qualcomm could be swapping cores around in the name of speed and efficiency.
Last month’s rumor makes it feel like we’re flip-flopping on its potential internal core setup but it also spoke on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s possible support for a 64-bit-only era among smartphones. The Adreno 750 GPU may upgrade to an Adreno Gen 7.9.0 chip, potentially pushing its max frequency to 770MHz.
Allegedly, Qualcomm’s next release could come a bit earlier than previous iterations. Speculation speaks of a vague late 2023 launch; possibly in October.
Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra brings the power of the universe to your hand. With its cleaner, sleeker design over its predecessor, the S23 Ultra brings speed and efficiency for whatever app you decide to get lost in. Don’t forget its 200MP main camera for capturing all of life’s moments.
