Qualcomm, renowned for its consistent naming scheme for Snapdragon SoCs, may be straying from its usual structure with the rumored Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. Leaked information indicates that this upcoming chipset might not surpass the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 found in top-tier Android flagships.
According to leaks from Digital Chat Station, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, codenamed SM8635, is expected to feature a Cortex-X4 prime core clocked at 3.01GHz, four Cortex-A720 performance cores clocked at 2.61GHz, and three Cortex-A520 efficiency cores clocked at 1.84GHz. Additionally, the SoC is speculated to integrate the Adreno 735 GPU.
While these details are fresh, concerns arise as the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 may not outperform the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 based on the leaked specifications. The clock speeds are lower, the codename is different (SM8635 vs. SM8650 for the 8 Gen 3), and the GPU is also of a lower tier (Adreno 735 vs. Adreno 750). This suggests that the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 could fall between the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and the previous Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which goes against the traditional convention of using “S” as a suffix to indicate incremental upgrades, as popularized by Apple.
To further complicate matters, Qualcomm’s lineup might introduce versions like “for Galaxy”/”Plus,” potentially leading to a cluttered branding scenario. If the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 does materialize, Qualcomm’s lineup could potentially look something like this, arranged from most powerful to least powerful:
– Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
– Snapdragon 8s Gen 3
– Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
There is a possibility that Qualcomm may choose a different branding strategy upon release. However, past inconsistencies in their approach indicate a potential for confusion. For instance, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 falls between the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 and the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2, with no Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 in sight. The premium mid-range lineup follows this order from most powerful to least powerful:
– Snapdragon 7s Gen 2
– Snapdragon 7 Gen 3
– Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2
With the introduction of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, it is hoped that Qualcomm revisits its branding strategy to streamline its SoC lineup and alleviate confusion for consumers.
