Qualcomm has released a new version of its flagship processor. The new Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (SM8475) offers moderate performance improvements and significant power reductions – the old Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 was never sluggish, and its primary faults were heat and battery utilisation.
Qualcomm claims a 10% increase in CPU performance and a 30% improvement in power efficiency for the CPU. The max Cortex-X2 core can now reach 3.2GHz, matching the Snapdragon 870’s clock speed from early 2021. (the X2 in the original 8 Gen 1 topped out at 3.0Ghz).
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Mobile Platform
The frequency of the other two CPU clusters has also been increased: Gold cores run at 2.75GHz, while Silver cores run at 2.0GHz. This is an increase from 3.0GHz, 2.5GHz, and 1.8GHz before. Similarly, the GPU operates at a 10% higher frequency while consuming 30% less power. Furthermore, the AI engine now has a 20% higher performance per Watt ratio. Wireless modems have also improved inefficiency.
On the SoC level, total power efficiency has increased by 15%. To put it another way, a phone with the same chipset can stream video for 1 hour and 30 minutes longer than one with an older processor. Voice calls, which are usually short, can now last up to 5 hours and 30 minutes longer (the rest of the hardware being equal).
Qualcomm had to switch foundries to obtain these advancements – the technology is still referred to as “4nm,” but it originates from TSMC rather than Samsung.
These are official figures for improved performance and efficiency. What is the chip’s real-world performance? Asus offered us a ROG Engineering gadget to test, so check out our real-world benchmarks and a comparison of how it compares to earlier Snapdragon 8-series CPUs. This ROG phone isn’t designed to be a commercial gadget; rather, it’s a demonstration of the new chip’s potential.
The remainder of the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1’s hardware is the same. Up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM (3,200MHz) and UFS 3.1 storage are supported. With 10-bit rendering (Rec. 2020) and HDR10+ compatibility, the display driver can achieve QHD+ at up to 144Hz or 4K at 60Hz.
Its Snapdragon X65 modem supports up to 3.6GHz Wi-Fi 6/6E, while the FastConnect 6900 enables up to 10Gbps peak speeds. aptX Lossless and Bluetooth LE Audio are both supported by Bluetooth 5.3. (with longer playtimes thanks to the improved efficiency).
The CPU has the same triple 18-bit Spectra ISP, which can handle up to 200MP sensors and 8K video recording at 30 frames per second (4K at 120 frames per second), as well as image processing. gimmicks like multi-frame noise reduction and staggered/DoL HDR, as well as compatibility for HLG, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision formats.
The first Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 smartphones will be available in Q3 of this year, according to Qualcomm (July-September). And there’s a lengthy list of makers who are working hard to create those products. Asus ROG, Black Shark, HONOR, iQOO, Lenovo, Motorola, Nubia, OnePlus, Oppo, OSOM, realme, Red Magic, Redmi, Vivo, Xiaomi, and ZTE are among them, listed alphabetically.
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