Qualcomm is preparing to debut the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, the successor to 2023's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which now powers most high-end Android phones. So, what does the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 have in store for our next-generation smartphones? Here's all we know about the new chip, including the latest rumours and when you may expect official information.
When will the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 launch?
Qualcomm has confirmed that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will be unveiled at its annual Snapdragon Summit, which will take place from October 21 to October 23. That's approximately the same time as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 debuted last year. The first smartphones powered by the new technology are expected to surface in the days and weeks following its unveiling, although availability remains uncertain.
Performance expected from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4?
Qualcomm's Don McGuire has already revealed a big shift for the next generation. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will be Qualcomm's first mobile chip to use its Oryon CPU technology. That is the same architecture utilised in Qualcomm's Snapdragon X processors, which power the first generation of Copilot Plus PCs.
This adjustment is significant for several reasons. For starters, it signifies a shift back to proprietary Arm-based CPU cores for mobile devices, rather than purchasing and customising Arm Cortex CPU components. Qualcomm stopped producing CPU cores with Krait and its first-generation Kryo, instead relying on Arm-designed cores for the better part of the last decade.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 features
The new CPU design will be a key talking point with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, but additional advancements are also expected, as is customary with Qualcomm. Early benchmarks are generally unreliable, but there's been a lot of talk about the chip's new GPU. The mid-range Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 introduced a new graphics architecture (named Adreno 810) that improved performance by 45% over the previous generation. The 8 Gen 4's rumoured Adreno 830 GPU is expected to provide substantial efficiency and performance improvements over last year's model. Hopefully, this will lead to improved sustained graphics performance, which is our main issue with newer Snapdragon devices.
Nutshell, Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset is expected to be its most innovative and thrilling unveiling in recent years. It appears to be ushering in a new era of performance and premium features. We won't have to wait long to see if this works out.
Source: Nanoreview