Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon 8s Gen 3: For a more affordable flagship phones

Qualcomm has unveiled a Snapdragon SoC – the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. This processor aims to bridge the gap between the company’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and the more affordable Snapdragon 7 series, targeting more affordable flagship smartphones.

The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is built on a 4nm manufacturing process and features a combination of cores similar to the flagship 8 Gen 3. It boasts a single high-performance Cortex-X4 core clocked at 3.0 GHz, along with four Cortex-A720 cores for balanced performance at 2.8 GHz, and three efficiency-focused Cortex-A520 cores at 2.0 GHz.

The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 utilizes a lower clock speed on its Cortex-X4 prime core (300 MHz lower than the standard 8 Gen 3) and has a different core configuration. The 8 Gen 3 utilizes a 1+5+2 core layout (one prime core, five performance cores, and two efficiency cores) compared to the 8s Gen 3’s 1+4+3 layout. Additionally, the 8s Gen 3 features slightly lower RAM support, topping out at 24GB of LPDDR5x RAM compared to the 8 Gen 3’s unrestricted LPDDR5 support.

The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 retains many premium features from its flagship counterpart. It supports Qualcomm Spectra 18-bit Triple ISP technology for advanced camera processing, Wi-Fi 7 for faster wireless connectivity, and the latest Bluetooth standards. However, the 8s Gen 3 integrates the latest Snapdragon X70 5G modem instead of the cutting-edge X75 found in the 8 Gen 3.

We can expect that the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 will be primarily used by phone manufacturers to equip premium smartphones at a slightly lower price point than those powered by the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Expect smartphones with this chipset to be unveiled soon.