Qualcomm typically releases a new version of its flagship mobile chipset at the end of each year. Assuming the US corporation sticks to that concept, you may anticipate one by the end of 2024. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is nice, but it was meant for phones with less power. So, what does the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 add to the table? Here’s what we know thus far, including some leaked specifications and rumored initial devices.
When will the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 launch?
Qualcomm tends to launch a new flagship chipset every year, so the 8 Gen 4 is highly likely to arrive before the end of 2024.
In terms of a precise timeframe, leaker Digital Chat Station announced on Chinese social media site Weibo that mass manufacturing will begin in September 2024.
That would be sooner than in prior years, but Qualcomm appears to have chosen a rough 11-month release cycle:
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 – December 2021
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 – November 2022
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 – October 2023
If the September launch date is correct, the Snapdragon Summit will be held earlier in a calendar year than previously – if Qualcomm continues with its Hawaii launch events.
Of course, phones powered by the new processor will not be accessible right now. Expect several high-profile debuts within 1-2 months of the announcement, with Samsung’s Galaxy S25 series flagships expected to be the first major hitters.
Which phones will use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4?
Of course, no phones have been confirmed to use Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. But the current 8 Gen 3 phones offer plenty of clues.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (plus S24 and S24+ outside Europe), Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro, and OnePlus 12 were among the early adopters, therefore it’s probable that future generations will use the newer Qualcomm processor.
However, almost all flagship smartphones not built by Apple or Google may be qualified. Look for the successors to the Xiaomi 14, Honor Magic 6 series, Motorola Razr 50 Ultra, Oppo Find X7 Ultra, and Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra, however this is far from a full list.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 will probably launch too early, while the OnePlus Open 2 will depend on how long the company wants to leave between generations.
As for the early adopters, leaker Yogesh Brar thinks Xiaomi is in pole position:
Xiaomi still has the exclusive first launch rights for Snapdragon 8 Gen 4
Followed by both OnePlus & iQOO
Lineup includes Xiaomi 15 / 15 Pro, OnePlus 13, iQOO 13
— Yogesh Brar (@heyitsyogesh) April 23, 2024
However, while the Xiaomi 15 and 15 Pro are expected to be released around the same time as the 8 Gen 4 in China, they are unlikely to be available in Europe before early 2025.
The OnePlus 13 may face a similar fate, although the iQOO is unlikely to reach Europe.
What will the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 specs and features be?
We don’t know exactly what to expect from the 8 Gen 4 chipset, but based on a few leaks, we feel we have a fair idea of a few crucial elements.
TSMC’s 3nm process
Last year, only Apple introduced a line of 3nm chipsets based on TSMC’s newest 3nm ‘N3B’ node.
Unfortunately, because to cost constraints, businesses like as Qualcomm and MediaTek had to wait an additional year to adopt the ‘N3E’ process, a variant of the older 3nm technology. Despite using TSMC’s N4P 4nm technology, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Dimensity 9300 remained powerful.
However, according to X leaker Revegnus (Twitter since deleted) and Weibo leaker Digital Chat Station, Qualcomm will once again rely entirely on TSMC to manufacture the 3nm-based ‘Sun’ chipset this year.
Moving to TSMC’s second-generation 3nm technology should allow Qualcomm to maintain strong performance while using less power. It may also increase power restrictions somewhat for improved multi-core performance, but not much.
Just as with the Galaxy S24 series, it appears that another overclocked ‘for Galaxy’ version of the chipset will be released only for Samsung phones.
Oryon/Phoenix CPU cores
A better manufacturing process is not the only factor influencing a chip’s performance and power consumption. The bespoke CPU designs also play an important influence.
According to Digital Chat Station on Weibo, Qualcomm will most likely replace the existing ARM designs with its own, known as Oryon or Phoenix cores. These will feature a different configuration than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, potentially without any efficiency cores at all.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will most likely have a ‘2 + 6’ CPU arrangement rather than the ‘1 + 3 + 4’ of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This means that all cores will be performance cores, potentially leading to a significant increase in multi-core performance.
While this may result in increased power needs, it should be mitigated by a transition to the 3nm node, making the device more power efficient overall.
Qualcomm is also believed to be testing the next processor at 4.00GHz, which is much quicker than the 8 Gen 3.
This should improve single-core and multi-threaded speed. Early benchmarks suggest that it performs substantially better than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, even competing with Apple’s M3 chip:
This is the first ever benchmark for Snapdragon 8 Gen 4! pic.twitter.com/a67YWtvDdP
— Nguyen Phi Hung (@negativeonehero) January 28, 2024
New Adreno GPU
Qualcomm is said to include the Adreno 830 GPU in the Snapdragon 8 Generation 4. We don’t have exact specifications yet, but X leaker Revegnus claims it might outperform Apple’s top M2 GPU in several tests.
This makes us curious about its graphics performance, especially after seeing the 8 Gen 3 outperforming Apple’s M2 in one benchmark.
According to Chinese tech site TechNews, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 scores over 10,000 points on Geekbench 6, while the Adreno 830 GPU consumes the same amount of power as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 while providing considerable performance gains. It’s estimated that the complete chipset uses just 8W of electricity.
However, there will be stiff rivalry, with MediaTek prepping the Dimensity 9400 and Apple likely to introduce the A18 and A18 Pro CPUs for the forthcoming iPhone 16 series. In 2024, it appears like there will be an interesting race for 3nm smartphone processors.
