Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 phones, performance benchmarks, and new features
Qualcomm did a great job with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 flagship chipset, as all of the tests we did on phones that carry it can prove. It is fast, it's very frugal, and, above all, consistently stable under pressure. Since it already launched its next best processor kit - the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 - we've compiled all about Qualcomm's 2024 processor that is landing in phones like the Galaxy S24 series. Spoiler alert, it's all about AI!
With the Galaxy S23 FE, Samsung primed the public that it may fragment its phone lines once again in terms of processing power, as it will carry Exynos or Snapdragon processors, depending on the region. Lo and behold, after ditching its own Exynos line for the Galaxy S23 this year, it has apparently created a new processor that is so exciting and powerful that Samsung decided to use it in the upcoming Galaxy S24 series.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is made with TSMC's 4nm process and Exynos 2400 will reportedly be made in Samsung's foundries, which is not surprising given that Qualcomm went entirely with TSMC for Gen 2 in the S23 series. Given Apple's troubles with the 3nm Apple A17 compatibility on the iPhone Pro line, and the low 3nm yield of the TSMC foundry, that may turn out to be a good idea.
Just as rumored before, Samsung will still equip the entire Galaxy S24 line sold in the US with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, including the new Qualcomm X75 5G modem. Mum's the word on the 5G modem specifications in the Exynos 2400, but Samsung's processor reportedly won't be in the top-shelf Galaxy S24 Ultra abroad as well.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 specs and graphics: no more 32-bit!
- 4nm TSMC production method
- 10% higher system efficiency
- 30% faster and 20% more frugal Kryo CPU
- 1 x Cortex-X4 @ 3.3GHz
- 3 x A720 @ 3.2GHz
- 2 x A720 @ 3.0GHz
- 2 x A520 @ 2.3GHz
- 25% faster and 25% more frugal Adreno GPU
- AI: 98% improved AI performance and 40% better performance per watt
- Spectra ISP: Supports 8K HDR and features multi-camera real-time semantic segmentation, HDR photo technology from Dolby, and dual always-sensing cameras
- Snapdragon Elite Gaming features and new hardware accelerated ray tracing with global illumination
- Snapdragon X75 5G Modem-RF System with 10 Gbps peak download speeds
- Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 Mobile Connectivity System, supporting Wi-Fi 7 with 5.8 Gbps
While the Galaxy's Gen 2 processor has one peak performance core, four midrange ones, and three everyday computing cores for the mundane tasks, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 comes with 5 midrange cores which can be revved up to 3GHz+ high clock speeds.
This would ensure more balanced distribution of power and, since Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is built on the next-gen 4nm process by TSMC, the increase in performance happens at a power draw comparable to that of its predecessor.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 benchmark scores
- Geekbench single core: 2329 points
- Geekbench multi-core: 7526 point
- AnTuTu: 2.14 million points
- PCMark: 21628 points
- GFXBench Aztec Ruins OpenGL (High Tier) Offscreen (1440p): 83 FPS
- GFXBench Aztec Ruins Vulkan (High Tier) Offscreen (1440p): 96 FPS
- 3Dmark WildLife Extreme: 32 FPS
- Jetstream 2 browser test: 241
Qualcomm cites 30% Kryo CPU and 25% GPU processing power improvements over Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, despite that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is still built on the 4nm production nodes. Those are second generation 4nm production processes that bring stability and compatibility improvements, though.
In a nutshell, Qualcomm may have even given a conservative estimate of the faster Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 speeds when compared to the Gen 2 in the Galaxy S23 Ultra, while the new Snapdragon holds its own even against the mighty 3nm Apple A17 though, as usual, not in the single core performance as Apple clocks its processors higher.
It is a Qualcomm reference platform, though, meaning that it is optimized for performance, plus it is loaded with 16GB RAM, but still the Galaxy S24 processing power is shaping up to be about a third faster than what the S23 commands.
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Galaxy S24 Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 speed benchmark
As you can see from the comparison with the "for Galaxy" Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 on the S23+, the S24+ performance score in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 benchmark is higher. This is likely brought about by the higher clock speed of the upper cores, and is a welcome development nonetheless.
The fact that TSMC and Qualcomm may have deemed a higher Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 clock speed possible could mean that they have run the load tests and determined it won't overheat or enter throttling mode. This could bode well for an improvement in the 4nm process of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, meaning that the S24 phones will be even more power-sipping than their predecessors.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 vs Exynos 2400
At its System LSI Tech Day expo, Samsung listed the Exynos 2400 specs as offering an "improved CPU performance by 1.7 times and AI performance by 14.7 times compared to its predecessor, the Exynos 2200."
As for the GPU, "graphic technologies such as ray tracing, which tracks light, and reflection and shadow rendering, which express light reflection effects and shadow boundaries similar to the real world, were also added," tips The Elec.
Exynos 2400 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 specs
| Exynos 2400 specs | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 specs | |
|---|---|---|
| Core configuration | 1x Cortex-X4 @ 3.19 Ghz 2x Cortex-A720 @ 2.9 GHz 3x Cortex-A720 @ 2.6 GHz 4x Cortex-A520 @ 1.95 GHz | 1x Cortex-X4 @ 3.3 GHz 3x Cortex-A720 @ 3.15 GHz 2x Cortex-A720 @ 2.96 GHz 2x Cortex-A520 @ 2.27 GHz |
| GPU | Samsung XClipse 940 | Adreno 750 (50% faster) |
| 5G modem | Exynos 5300 (10Gbps) | Snapdragon X75 (10Gbps) |
| Features | LPDDR5X RAM UFS 4.0 storage 8K 60FPS video 320MP camera Two-way satellite communications | - |
Will the Galaxy S24 Ultra have Snapdragon or Exynos processor?
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is entirely equipped with the 3rd generation Snapdragon 8 for Galaxy. It is a safety device from Samsung Electronics’ MX Division. The relationship with Qualcomm was also taken into consideration. Qualcomm is the largest customer in the premium market for the MX Division and a major orderer for the Foundry Division.
There you have it, only the Galaxy S24 and the larger Galaxy S24+ will be equipped with Exynos 2400 processor in regions like Korea and Europe. This would be essential for Samsung's MX mobile division cost controls, but also a source of affirmation and business for its System LSI department that will make the chip. According to one company official, "we took into account the fact that Korea is a symbolic market" when deciding which Galaxy S24 sales region gets what processor.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 5G modem and connectivity
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset incorporates Qualcomm's newest Snapdragon X75 5G modem that is already announced, so we know what 5G connectivity specs to expect from phones like the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Qualcomm's first unified 5G architecture is more power-efficient which will bode well for your phone's battery life. In the Snapdragon X75 modem RF system, mmWave and Sub-6 are now in one transceiver, allowing Qualcomm's next generation modem to cover the entire 5G spectrum, including Snapdragon Satellite, with 20% less toll on the battery.
Moreover, the unified mmWave transceiver means that there won't potentially be differences between modems on phones made for Verizon or, say, T-Mobile, but they will all come with ultrafast mmWave connectivity. As for all the other new Snapdragon X75 5G, Qualcomm lists them as follows:
- World’s first 10-carrier aggregation for mmWave, 5x downlink carrier aggregation and FDD uplink MIMO for sub-6 GHz bands, which allow for unparalleled spectrum aggregation and capacity.
- Converged transceiver for mmWave and sub-6 paired with new Qualcomm QTM565 fifth generation mmWave antenna modules reduce cost, board complexity, hardware footprint and power consumption
- Qualcomm Advanced Modem-RF Software Suite further improves sustained performance, across user scenarios including elevators, subway trains, airports, parking garages, mobile gaming sessions and more.
- AI-based sensor-assisted mmWave beam management for superior connectivity reliability and AI-based location accuracy enhancements.
- Qualcomm 5G PowerSave Gen 4 and Qualcomm RF Power Efficiency Suite for extended battery life.
- Qualcomm DSDA Gen 2 support enabling 5G/4G Dual Data on two SIM cards simultaneously.
- Qualcomm Smart Transmit Gen 4 to allow for fast, reliable and long-range uploads – and now including support for Snapdragon Satellite.
Phones to be released with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy S24+
- Samsung Galaxy S24
- Oppo Find X7 Pro
- Xiaomi 14 Pro
- OnePlus 12
Qualcomm is detailing the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 on October 24 when it will hold its dedicated event, and, as usual, flagships from Xiaomi and OnePlus are expected to get it first.
In short, with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Qualcomm created its best mobile chipset in recent memory, and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 will seemingly solidify those tendencies even when facing Apple's powerful A17 chipset and its graphics processor.
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