Qualcomm may not have released its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 until November 2022, but development of its successor is already underway.
Here’s everything we know about the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 so far, including confirmed information about the Snapdragon X75 5G modem and the latest Arm CPU cores.
When will the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 be released?
We don’t have any official date confirming when the new chip will arrive yet, but Qualcomm has been setting a fairly regular release schedule over the past few years, so we think it’s highly likely that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 will be released in November or December 2023.
This would be consistent with all Snapdragon 8 mobile processors, which debuted around the same time:
We haven’t heard any reports that this schedule has been disrupted, so it looks good for a winter release this year.
In February, the leaked digital chat station suggested on Weibo that the 8 Gen 3 would launch earlier than the 8 Gen 2, so before November. If so, that doesn’t leave much time for Qualcomm to release the expected 8+ Gen 2 chip for its semi-annual chipset update, just like it did in May 2022 with the 8+ Gen 1.
Too many chips, you might say.
What new features will we see in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3?
We don’t know for sure what to expect in the 8 Gen 3 chipset, but thanks to component announcements and a few leaks, we think we have a pretty good idea for a few bits.
3nm arm processors
Chip designer Arm has now unveiled its latest processors, and its first designed for a 3nm process, and these will almost certainly appear in the 8 Gen 3.
The Cortex-X4 is the biggest, delivering 15% more power than the previous generation with up to 40% improved power efficiency. It’s joined in the new generation by the A720 and A520, which each promise improved efficiency of around 20% year-on-year.
In 8 Gen 2, Qualcomm outfitted its Kryo processor design with a 1+4+3 configuration, using an X3, two each of the A715 and A710, and a trio of A510 efficiency cores.
If we see the same again, 8 Gen 3 should be led by the main Cortex-X4 core, supported by four A720 cores or a mix of them and A715 units, and finally complemented by three of the new A520 chips.
That said, we’ve heard the opposite. Generally reliable tipster Digital Chat Station reported in April that the 8 Gen 3 will use a new 1+5+2 configuration, led by an X4 clocked at 3.7GHz (compared to 3.2GHz in the 8’s X3). Gen 2). That would mean a move to even more performance cores – likely the A720 – and fewer efficiency units.
Again, in that same report, the leaker claimed that Qualcomm would stick to a 4nm process – and since we know the new Arm chips are for 3nm production, that doesn’t seem right, throwing the rest of the claims doubted as well. We may, however, see a 3nm processor integrated into a chipset along with other 4nm components.
Still, there has been speculation about moving to a 3nm process. Samsung was the first to reach this size, but initially it would have only managed to achieve 20% yield per wafer, which is obviously not efficient and would drive up CPU prices. Qualcomm has now reportedly transferred production to Taiwanese manufacturer TSMC, which has managed a much higher yield of 75-80%.
Samsung has improved its output though, as GSMArena says that once the Korean giant partnered with US-based Silicon Frontline Technology, the yield jumped to around 60-70%.
This has all culminated in various reports indicating that production will either be through TSMC or a combination of the two. Only time will tell who will make the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
So what will a 3nm process do to justify all this hassle? Well, GizChina reports that the new process should deliver improved performance, as well as a significant 35% improvement in power efficiency, with its obvious battery life benefits.
Adreno 750 GPU
We know less about the 8 Gen 3’s GPU. Digital Chat Station reported that it would be called the Adreno 750, but beyond that there’s little information.
Arm has unveiled the GPUs to go along with its latest processors, and the flagship is the Immortalis-G720, with 15% improved performance over its predecessor. However, Qualcomm has traditionally designed its own GPUs rather than using Arm’s Mali and Immortalis designs, so we’re unlikely to see that in the new Snapdragon.
Snapdragon X75 5G Modem
The official announcement of the Snapdragon X75, Qualcomm’s latest 5G modem, is a big hint at the standard satellite connectivity on the 8 Gen 3 – although far from confirmed.
Announced in February 2023, the X75 is the latest next-gen 5G modem component that Qualcomm tends to announce this time of year ahead of its flagship chipsets. The X70 launched in February 2022 and found its way into the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip in November, strongly hinting that the X75 will duly make its way into the 8 Gen 3.
Qualcomm claims the X75 is the world’s first 5G Advanced-ready modem-RF system. Translation: Its transceiver can singularly handle millimeter wave and sub-6-band 5G, preparing it for the evolution of 5G networks that use both frequencies.
The company says this design can lead to significant cost and energy savings, two things that smartphone makers want to take advantage of.
The X75 is also said to add 2.5x faster AI processing compared to the X70, and features dual-active dual-SIM technology to allow two simultaneous 5G data connections.
It also seems obvious that the chip will include support for the new Snapdragon Satellite technology announced by Qualcomm at CES 2023, enabling emergency communications without a normal mobile signal – and possibly even basic two-way messaging. This is in fact already included in the 8 Gen 2 and has been made available to manufacturers for inclusion in new handsets, so it seems certain that it will also appear in the next generation.
Which phones will use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3?
Obviously, with the release date still a long way off, we don’t have any confirmed reports of which phones will come with the Gen 3 chip on board, but based on past history, we can make some confident predictions.
With the previous generation, some of the first devices out of the gate were the Vivo X90 Pro+, Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro and OnePlus 11. We’d be pretty sure that the successors to these phones will also be rushing to get the new silicon. in their flagships for 2024.
Like most years, the Qualcomm processor is also expected to be incorporated into many other flagships, including companies such as Samsung, Motorola and Oppo.
To see which phones the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-equipped phones will have to beat, check out our current pick of the best smartphones, as well as the best phones coming in 2023.
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