The arrival of the new flagship processor of new generation Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Android phones of Qualcomm has caused great expectation. And it is that, this has fully entered the battlefield to replace a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 that was not exactly a success and a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 that provided some much-needed improvements.
Qualcomm also wants the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is positioned as the springboard for the future of WiFi 7 and 5G connections, and it does so by equipping the Snapdragon X70 5G modem which will be the first to offer a platform with two active 5G SIM cards simultaneously natively.
We are talking about a device manufactured in collaboration with TSMC, using the 4 nm process, which promises 40% higher energy efficiency with a 35% performance increase compared to the previous generation manufacturer. The new chipset supports even better wireless connectivity features.
Now, what is really important is to check the efficiency of this new processor compared to its previous versions: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 y Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and thus observe its improvements and new functions more closely. And it is that, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 continues to be in the news for incorporating a powerful CPU and GPU and, at the same time, introducing a series of improvements.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1Snapdragon 8 Gen 1CPU1x Cortex-X3 (3,2 GHz) 2x Cortex-A715 (2,8 GHz) 2x Cortex-A710 (2,8 GHz) 3x Cortex-A510 (2 GHz)1x Cortex-X2 (3,2 GHz) 3x Cortex A710 (2,8 GHz) 4x Cortex A510 (2 GHz)1x Cortex-X2 (3 GHz) 3x Cortex-A710 (2,5 GHz) 4x Cortex-A510 (1,8 GHz)GPUAdreno 740 con RaytracingAdreno 730Adreno 730Proceso de fabricación 4 nm TSMC4 nm TSMC4 nm SamsungRAMLPDDR5X (4.200 MHz)LPDDR5 (3.200 MHz)LPDDR5 (3.200 MHz)ISPSnapdragon Spectra Triple 18 bits + IASnapdragon Spectra Triple 18 bitsSnapdragon Spectra Triple 18 bitsModemX70 Modem (mmWave + sub-6 GHz)X65 Modem (mmWave + sub-6 GHz)X65 Modem (mmWave + sub-6 GHz)ConectividadWiFi 7 | Bluetooth 5.3 LEWiFi 7 | Bluetooth 5.3 LEWiFi 7 | Bluetooth 5.3 LEOtrosUFS 4.0 QHD+ hasta 144 Hz 4K hasta 60 HzUFS 3.1 QHD+ hasta 144 Hz 4K hasta 60 HzUFS 3.1 QHD+ hasta 144 Hz 4K hasta 60 Hz
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs 8+ Gen 1 vs 8 Gen 1: Specs Comparison
In the previous table and, at a glance, you can see the characteristics of each chipset. Well, as you can see, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is a huge improvement over the 8 Gen 1 released last year. In the GPU section, the performance has multiplied and if we compare it with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 of the previous generation, the improvement is remarkable in all aspects.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is manufactured in 4nm lithography with a 35% more powerful Cortex X3 processor with a frequency of 3.19 GHz and 64-bit architecture, accompanied by 4 performance Kryo cores running at 2.8 Ghz and 3 efficiency cores at 2.0 Ghz. For comparison, older Snapdragon chipsets use four high-performance cores and four low-power cores.
A previous analysis carried out by our colleague Rubén Andrés makes it clear: “the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is quite continuous in terms of characteristics, but it has improved its specifications. Don’t let that deceive you, beyond improving its raw power, Inside, some details have changed that make a big difference…at least on paper”.
And it is that, it is still based on a 4 nm node, but it is appreciated a notable increase in energy efficiency, which has been improved by up to 40%.
If we talk about GPU, the Adreno 740 present in the new generation is up to 25% faster and 45% more efficient energetically than that of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. In addition, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is the first Qualcomm chipset to support Ray Tracing technology, similar to Samsung’s Exynos 2200 and MediaTek’s Dimensity 9200, its big rivals.
Also in this regard, the chipset is capable of powering displays with QHD+ resolution at 144 Hz and 4K displays at 60 Hz, identical to the chips of the previous generation. As for RAM, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 supports LPDDR5X RAM, a more advanced technology than the LPDDR5 RAM found in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.
Qualcomm’s release continues to support UFS 4.0 storage, much faster than UFS 3.1, which should improve overall performance and load times for apps and games.
Turning to the cameras, the new generation of Qualcomm is capable of recording videos with a resolution up to 8K at 60 fps, an improvement over the limits of previous chips, which managed to record at the same 8K but at only 30 fps. Additionally, devices equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will support AV1 codec and 8K 60fps video streaming.
As we have already mentioned, connectivity has also gained thanks to the integrated X70 5G modem, which can reach download speeds of up to 10 Gbps and upload speeds of up to 3.5 Gbps.
On the other hand, and as mentioned in Android Central, one of the great advantages of this Qualcomm novelty is the battery life. The 8+ Gen 1 already fixed a lot of the issues in this area but the company has already gone the game with the 8 Gen 2. We talked between 45 minutes and an hour more on screen than the 8 Gen 1 (in the same use cases).
Overall, Qualcomm’s new processor offers faster performance, higher power efficiency, better performance, shorter application load times, and faster wireless connectivity.
With all this on the table, if you are considering make a smartphone change this 2023you may be interested in opting for some such as the new Samsung Galaxy S23, which are just around the corner, the new Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro, Moto X40 or Redmi K60 Pro, which are equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
