Qualcomm’s Latest Flagship Chipset
At the Snapdragon Summit 2023, Qualcomm has introduced its latest flagship mobile chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This powerful chipset is designed to offer exceptional CPU and graphics performance, enhanced AI capabilities, and remarkable power efficiency. It also boasts improvements in GPU, modem, and connectivity, along with enhanced on-device security features.
Introducing the new @Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform, delivering generative #AI to the next generation of flagship smartphones. #SnapdragonSummit https://t.co/TwfW15tVzU
— Qualcomm (@Qualcomm) October 24, 2023
System-Wide AI Enhancements
One of the standout features of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is its impressive onboard AI capabilities. Qualcomm has embedded high-performance AI throughout the entire system, providing users with premium-level AI performance. This advanced chipset opens up new possibilities for generative AI, enabling users to create unique content, enhance productivity, and explore breakthrough use cases. According to Chris Patrick, senior vice president and general manager of mobile at Qualcomm, “This platform unlocks a new era of generative AI.”
Adoption Across Premium Android Smartphones
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset is expected to be integrated into several premium-tier Android smartphones globally. A range of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) including Asus, Honor, iQOO, Meizu, NIO, Nubia, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Redmi, RedMagic, Sony, Vivo, Xiaomi, and ZTE will be launching smartphones based on this innovative chipset.
Key Features of Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
The new AI Engine within this chipset represents a game-changing innovation for on-device generative AI applications. It supports multi-modal generative AI models, including large language models (LLM), language vision models (LVM), and transformer network-based automatic speech recognition (ASR) with up to 10 billion parameters, all processed on-device. This technology enables rapid content creation and delivers personalized AI responses based on user data.
The Hexagon NPU (Neural Processing Unit) in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 offers up to 98% faster performance, and the Qualcomm Sensing Hub demonstrates a 3.5x increase in AI performance.
Other Component Features
The chipset includes Qualcomm’s 5G Modem-RF System, Snapdragon X75, which supports advanced 5G capabilities. It features a 5G mmWave and sub-6 GHz system, 5G standalone and non-standalone modes, and impressive downlink and uplink speeds. This ensures seamless 5G connectivity.
Qualcomm’s FastConnect 7800 System provides support for Wi-Fi 7, with peak speeds of 5.8 Gbps, and integrated Bluetooth with advanced audio features.
The chipset also enhances visual experiences with support for 4K at 60 Hz and QHD+ at 144 Hz displays and variable refresh rate support.
Superior CPU and GPU
The Qualcomm Kryo CPU in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 features a 64-bit architecture, a prime core running at up to 3.3 GHz, Arm Cortex-X4 technology, five performance cores running at up to 3.2 GHz, and two efficiency cores running at up to 2.3 GHz. The Adreno GPU incorporates real-time hardware-accelerated ray tracing with global illumination, Unreal Engine 5 Lumen Global Illumination and Reflections System support, and many other enhancements for immersive gaming and visual experiences.
| Category | Specification |
| Artificial Intelligence | Fused AI accelerator architecture, Hexagon scalar, vector, and tensor accelerators, support for various precisions (INT4, INT8, INT16, FP16) |
| Qualcomm Sensing Hub | Dual micro NPUs for audio and sensors, dual Always-Sensing ISPs, support for INT4 precision |
| 5G Modem-RF System | Snapdragon X75 5G Modem-RF System, 5G advanced-ready, 5G mmWave and sub-6 GHz, support for downlink up to 10 Gbps and uplink up to 3.5 Gbps, global 5G multi-SIM |
| Qualcomm 5G AI Suite Gen 2 | Sensor-modem-RF solution for mmWave beam management, AI-enhanced channel state feedback, AI-enhanced antenna tuning, AI-enhanced GNSS Location Gen 2, Qualcomm 5G AI Processor Gen 2 |
| Wi-Fi & Bluetooth | Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 System, Wi-Fi 7 support with peak speed of 5.8 Gbps, integrated Bluetooth with advanced audio features |
| Camera for Visual Analytics | Hardware acceleration for iToF depth sensors, support for various HDR image sensors, up to 200-megapixel photo capture, AI-based face detection and 3A, video capture in HDR formats (HDR10+, HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision) |
| Audio | Qualcomm Aqstic audio codec, Qualcomm Aqstic smart speaker amplifier, advanced audio features |
| Audio and Voice Communication Suite | Spatial audio with head-tracking |
| Display | On-Device Display Support, support for 4K @ 60 Hz, QHD+ @ 144 Hz, Variable Refresh Rate support |
| CPU | Qualcomm Kryo CPU, 64-bit architecture, Prime core running at up to 3.3 GHz, Arm Cortex-X4 technology, Performance cores running at up to 3.2 GHz, Efficiency cores running at up to 2.3 GHz |
| Visual Subsystem | Adreno GPU, real-time hardware-accelerated ray tracing with global illumination, support for Unreal Engine 5 Lumen Global Illumination and Reflections System, Snapdragon Game Super Resolution, and more |
| Security | Trust Management Engine (Root of Trust), support for Android’s DICE-based remote key provisioning, Qualcomm Trusted Execution Environment & Services |
| Location Features | Concurrent GPS, Glonass, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS, NavIC, triple-frequency GNSS, sensor-assisted positioning, urban pedestrian navigation with sidewalk accuracy, and more |
| Charging | Quick Charge Technology, fast charging support |
| Memory Support | Support for LP-DDR5x memory, up to 4800 MHz, memory density up to 24 GB |
Enhanced Security Features
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 comes with security components including a Trust Management Engine, support for Android’s DICE-based remote key provisioning, and Qualcomm Trusted Execution Environment & Services.
