Snapdragon SoC Guide: All Of Qualcomm's Smartphone Processors ...

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MobileMobile technologySnapdragon SoC guide: All of Qualcomm's smartphone processors explainedFrom entry-level to cutting-edge, we break down all the major Snapdragon processors.By Hadlee Simons•

Published onNovember 11, 2024

Qualcomm

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors are among the most ubiquitous SoCs in the Android smartphone space. Samsung uses Snapdragon for its Galaxy S line in various markets, but these chips also power the vast majority of flagship Android phones on the market. There’s a good chance that you’re reading this on a device using a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor right now.

Snapdragon chips aren’t just found in expensive flagship smartphones though. There’s a whole portfolio of processors built for handsets at various price points. Performance and features differ a fair bit between these models, so let’s break down how the company’s latest SoCs compare and what capabilities you should expect.

Snapdragon 8 series — Premium tier

Hadlee Simons / Android Authority

Looking for the very best Qualcomm smartphone processor family? That will be the Snapdragon 8 range. The latest and greatest flagship chip is the Snapdragon 8 Elite, launched in October 2024. It powers loads of next-generation high-end Android phones, including the OnePlus 13 and Xiaomi 15 series. It’s also expected to power the Galaxy S25 series.

For the first time since 2016, the Snapdragon 8 series offers a custom CPU, with the 8 Elite using in-house Oryon CPU cores. This octa-core CPU consists of two prime cores clocked at a screaming 4.32GHz and six “performance” cores clocked at 3.53GHz. Qualcomm has abandoned little cores for the first time, aping MediaTek and Apple’s chips. Either way, the chip company claims a massive 45% performance boost over the previous flagship processor while saying it’s up to 44% more efficient.

Other Snapdragon 8 Elite features include a 3nm manufacturing process, a redesigned Adreno 830 GPU that’s a claimed 40% faster and 40% more efficient, and AI silicon that’s apparently 45%. Qualcomm says the new chip also offers “unlimited” object/subject detection layers for videos and photos and a maximum of 320MP single-camera snapshot support.

Snapdragon 8 Elite	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3	Snapdragon 8s Gen 3
CPU Config	Snapdragon 8 Elite2x 4.32GHz (Oryon)6x 3.53GHz (Oryon)	Snapdragon 8 Gen 31x 3.3GHz (Cortex-X4)3x 3.2GHz (Cortex-A720)2x 3GHz (Cortex-A720) 2x 2.3GHz (Cortex-A520 Refresh)	Snapdragon 8s Gen 31x 3.19GHz (Cortex-X4)4x 2.8GHz (Cortex-A720)3x 2.0GHz (Cortex-A520)
GPU	Snapdragon 8 EliteAdreno (ray tracing support)	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3Adreno(ray tracing support)	Snapdragon 8s Gen 3Adreno (ray tracing support)
DSP	Snapdragon 8 EliteHexagon (fused scalar, tensor, and vector) Mixed precision INT8/INT16 INT4 support	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3Hexagon(fused scalar, tensor, and vector)Mixed precision INT8/INT16INT4 support	Snapdragon 8s Gen 3Hexagon(fused scalar, tensor, and vector)Mixed precision INT8/INT16INT4 support
RAM support	Snapdragon 8 EliteLPDDR5X	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3LPDDR5X	Snapdragon 8s Gen 3LPDDR5X
Camera support	Snapdragon 8 Elite• 320MP single shot• 108MP single with zero shutter lag• 48MP triple camera with zero shutter lag• Hybrid AF• 10-bit HEIF image capture• HDR video• Dolby HDR photo• Massive Multi-frame noise reduction with AI• Enhanced AI video segmentation• Video super resolution	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3• 200MP single shot• 108MP single with zero shutter lag• 64MP+36MP with zero shutter lag• Triple 36MP with zero shutter lag• Hybrid AF• 10-bit HEIF image capture• HDR video• Dolby HDR photo• Multi-frame noise reduction• Real-time semantic segmentation for photos and videos (up to 12 layers)• Video super resolution	Snapdragon 8s Gen 3• 200MP single shot• 108MP single with zero shutter lag• 64MP+36MP with zero shutter lag• Triple 36MP with zero shutter lag• Hybrid AF• 10-bit HEIF image capture• HDR video• Multi-frame noise reduction• Real-time semantic segmentation for photos and videos (up to 12 layers)• Video super resolution
Video capture	Snapdragon 8 Elite8K @ 30fps (HDR)4K UHD @ 120fps	Snapdragon 8 Gen 38K @ 30fps (HDR)4K UHD @ 120fps	Snapdragon 8s Gen 34K UHD @ 60fps4K UHD @ 60fps (HDR)1080p @ 240fps
Charging	Snapdragon 8 EliteQuick Charge 5	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3Quick Charge 5	Snapdragon 8s Gen 3Quick Charge 5
4G/5G Modem	Snapdragon 8 EliteX80 LTE/5G (integrated)10,000Mbps down3,500Mbps upNB-NTN (satellite) support	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3X75 LTE/5G (integrated)10,000Mbps down3,500Mbps up	Snapdragon 8s Gen 3X70 LTE/5G (integrated)5,000Mbps down3,500Mbps up
Other networking	Snapdragon 8 EliteBluetooth 6.0Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi 6/6E (802.11ax), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), 802.11a/b/g/n	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3Bluetooth 5.4Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi 6/6E (802.11ax), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), 802.11a/b/g/n	Snapdragon 8s Gen 3Bluetooth 5.4Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi 6/6E (802.11ax), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), 802.11a/b/g/n
Process	Snapdragon 8 EliteTSMC 3nm	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3TSMC 4nm (N4P)	Snapdragon 8s Gen 3TSMC 4nm

The previous flagship chip was the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which was announced in October 2023. It powers phones like the Galaxy S24 Ultra, OnePlus 12, and the Xiaomi 14 series. This is still a very powerful chip, offering a beefy CPU (in a 1+5+2 layout), generative AI capabilities (including text-to-image generation in under a second), faster graphics hardware, night mode video support, and video object eraser capabilities.

Qualcomm also launched the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 in March 2024. This is meant to power affordable flagship smartphones rather than full-blown high-end phones like the 8 Gen 3 and 8 Elite. It features a powerful CPU (one Cortex-X4, four Cortex-A720, and three Cortex-A520) and a tweaked version of the older but still powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 GPU. The chipset offers on-device generative AI support too, but Qualcomm acknowledged that AI performance was slower than the 8 Gen 3.  The SoC also lacks 8K and super-slow motion video support as seen on the 8 Gen 2 and 8 Gen 3.

What is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy?

The Galaxy S24 series launched with the so-called Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset in some models. It offers slightly higher CPU clock speeds compared to the vanilla chip. That may translate to negligibly better performance in some demanding tasks. We’re expecting a Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip too if history is anything to go on.

Notable Snapdragon 8 series phones

• ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra
• OnePlus 12
• OnePlus 13
• Samsung Galaxy S24 series
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
• Xiaomi 15 series

Snapdragon 7 series — Bridging the gap

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 series isn’t quite as straightforward as its flagship 8 series. This is due to the sheer number of them, as well as the older, lower-end chips crossing into Snapdragon 6 territory. The Snapdragon 7 series was originally conceived as an upper mid-range family of processors, but the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 blends high-end and mid-range features like few other processors.

The Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 was announced in March 2024 and brings a 4nm design and a powerful, flagship-grade CPU. Qualcomm didn’t specify the GPU details bar saying it was 45% faster than the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2. Otherwise, the 7 Plus Gen 3 also brings features like support for on-device generative AI features (e.g. Gemini Nano, image generation), 4K/60fps HDR video, and Wi-Fi 7. Just don’t expect AV1 support, 8K video recording, and the greatest modem.

The Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 brings a flagship-grade CPU and generative AI support, but dials back the GPU, camera, and multimedia capabilities.

Prior to the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3, we had the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2. This was 2023’s best mid-range chip by Qualcomm, and it looked more like a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor than anything else. You’ve got the same TSMC 4nm design, a very similar CPU (one Cortex-X2, three Cortex-A710, four Cortex-A510), and what seems like a similarly powerful ISP. We do see some compromises though, such as a less impressive but still powerful GPU, the mid-tier Snapdragon X62 modem, and missing features like 8K recording. Unfortunately, only one phone launched with this chipset.

Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3	Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2	Snapdragon 7 Gen 3	Snapdragon 7s Gen 3	Snapdragon 7s Gen 2
CPU	Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 31x Cortex-X44x Cortex-A7203x Cortex-A520	Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 21x Cortex-X23x Cortex-A7104x Cortex-A510	Snapdragon 7 Gen 31x Cortex-A7153x Cortex-A7154x Cortex-A510	Snapdragon 7s Gen 34x Cortex-A7204x Cortex-A520	Snapdragon 7s Gen 24x Cortex-A784x Cortex-A55
GPU	Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3Adreno	Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2Adreno	Snapdragon 7 Gen 3Adreno	Snapdragon 7s Gen 3Adreno	Snapdragon 7s Gen 2Adreno
DSP	Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3Hexagon	Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2Hexagon	Snapdragon 7 Gen 3Hexagon	Snapdragon 7s Gen 3Hexagon	Snapdragon 7s Gen 2Hexagon
Modem	Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3Snapdragon X63 5G/LTE5G - 5Gbps down, 3.5Gbps up	Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2Snapdragon X62 5G/LTE5G - 4.4Gbps down, 1.6Gbps up	Snapdragon 7 Gen 3Snapdragon X63 5G/LTE5G - 5Gbps down	Snapdragon 7s Gen 3Unnamed Snapdragon 5G/LTE5G - 2.9Gbps down	Snapdragon 7s Gen 2Snapdragon X62 5G/LTE5G - 2.9Gbps down
Cameras	Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3108MP single64MP+36MP dual36MP+36MP+36MP triple200MP snapshot	Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2108MP single64MP+36MP dual32MP+32MP+32MP triple200MP snapshot	Snapdragon 7 Gen 364MP single32MP+21MP dual21MP+21MP+21MP triple200MP snapshot	Snapdragon 7s Gen 364MP single32MP+21MP dual21MP+21MP+21MP triple200MP snapshot	Snapdragon 7s Gen 248MP single32MP+16MP dual16MP+16MP+16MP triple200MP snapshot
Quick Charge	Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 35	Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 25	Snapdragon 7 Gen 35	Snapdragon 7s Gen 34+	Snapdragon 7s Gen 24+
Bluetooth	Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 35.4	Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 25.3	Snapdragon 7 Gen 35.4	Snapdragon 7s Gen 35.4	Snapdragon 7s Gen 25.2
Process	Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 34nm	Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 24nm	Snapdragon 7 Gen 34nm	Snapdragon 7s Gen 34nm	Snapdragon 7s Gen 24nm

Going down a rung we have the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, announced in September 2024. This is a follow-up to the popular but middling Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chip seen in phones like the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion, Redmi Note 13 Pro, and POCO X6. Thankfully, the new chip brings a powerful CPU that’s apparently up to 20% faster, consisting of four Cortex-A720 cores and four power-sipping Cortex-A520 cores. It also offers a 40% faster GPU, 30% better AI performance, and 12% better power savings. Unfortunately, you do miss out on 4K/60fps support, AV1 support, and a few other premium extras, but it’s a healthy upgrade anyway.

The two least capable recent Snapdragon 7 series chips are the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 and 7s Gen 2, both being announced in late 2023. The former chip brings a good CPU for a mid-range chip (4x Cortex-A715 and 4x Cortex-A510), while the latter offers an aging CPU setup (4x Cortex-A78, 4x Cortex-A55) that should still suffice for gaming and other tasks. But don’t expect 4K/60fps support, Ultra HDR, generative AI smarts, or cutting-edge connectivity options.

Notable Snapdragon 7 series phones

• HMD Skyline
• Motorola Edge 50 Fusion
• OnePlus Nord 4
• Realme 12 Pro Plus 5G
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G

Snapdragon 6 series — Value for money

Supplied by Qualcomm

Where the Snapdragon 7 series tries to bridge the gap between mid-range and flagship, the Snapdragon 6 series is mostly focused on the ~$300 and under segment. And the most notable processor in this family is the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3.

The Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 is an overclocked version of 2022’s Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor. Expect an aging but relatively powerful 2.4GHz CPU (4x Cortex-A78, 4x Cortex-A55), an Adreno 710 GPU, and the same connectivity standards (e.g. Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6E). Qualcomm says the 6 Gen 3 offers a 10% CPU performance boost and a 30% better GPU over the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1.

For what it’s worth, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 has a claimed 40% CPU and 35% GPU boost over the stalwart Snapdragon 695. The 6 Gen 1 and 6 Gen 3 also feature a 4nm design, 200MP snapshot support, and 4K video capture. The latter feature was a rarity in this price segment until very recently.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 1
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 34x Cortex-A78 @ 2.4GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 @ 1.8GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 14x Cortex-A78 @ 2.2GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 @ 1.8GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 32x Cortex-A78 @ 2.3GHz + 6x Cortex-A55 @ 2.0GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 14x Cortex-A73 @ 2.2GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.8GHz
GPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3Adreno 710	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1Adreno 710	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3Adreno	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 1Adreno 610
RAM	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3LPDDR5	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1LPDDR5	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3LPDDR4X	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 1LPDDR4X
DSP	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3Hexagon	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1Hexagon	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3Hexagon	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 1UFS 2.2
Modem	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3Snapdragon X62 5G	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1Snapdragon X62 5G	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3Snapdragon X51 5G	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 1Snapdragon X51 5G
Cameras	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3200MP photo capture;48MP single camera with ZSL;32MP + 16MP dual camera with ZSL;16MP triple camera with ZSL	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1200MP photo capture;48MP single camera with ZSL;25MP + 16MP dual camera with ZSL;13MP triple camera with ZSL	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3108MP photo capture;32MP single camera with ZSL;25MP + 13MP dual camera with ZSL;13MP triple camera with ZSL	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 1108MP photo capture;32MP single camera with ZSL;25MP + 13MP dual camera with ZSL;13MP triple camera with ZSL
Quick Charge	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 34+	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 14+	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 34+	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 13
Bluetooth	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 35.2	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 15.2	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 35.2	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 15.1
Process	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 34nm	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 14nm	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 36nm	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 111nm
Video recording	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 34K@30fps	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 14K@30fps	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 31080p@60fps	Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 11080p@60fps

Qualcomm also offers the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3, which is basically a rebranded version of the old Snapdragon 695 chip. Expect a middling octa-core CPU (2x Cortex-A78 and 6x Cortex-A55), an ancient Adreno 610 GPU, and Wi-Fi 5 instead of Wi-Fi 6 or higher. You also have to settle for 1080p/60fps video capture instead of 4K.

Finally, another recent Snapdragon 6 series entry is the Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 1. But this is just a slightly improved version of the ancient Snapdragon 662 from 2020. Expect the same super-old CPU (4x Cortex-A73, 4x-Cortex-A53) with a 100MHz clock speed boost, an “enhanced” GPU, an old X11 LTE modem, and an obsolete 11nm manufacturing process. Don’t expect 4K video recording, slow-motion video support, or anything more than 48MP single-camera support.

Notable Snapdragon 6 series phones

• Motorola Moto G85
• Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G 2024
• Realme 12 Pro

Snapdragon 4 series — Entry-level

Supplied by Qualcomm

Now we come to the least capable Snapdragon series (aside from the shuttered/dormant Snapdragon 200 family), designed for cheap phones. But there’s good news here, as 2022’s Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 actually looks decent for a low-end chipset.

The Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 was announced in mid-2022 and offers a 6nm design, a solid but unspectacular CPU (2x Cortex-A78, 6x Cortex-A55), and a 10% faster GPU than the earlier Snapdragon 480. Otherwise, this SoC has quite a few things in common with the Snapdragon 695. We’ve got the same X51 5G modem, similar camera capabilities (no 4K recording here), 120Hz support at FHD+ display resolution, and Wi-Fi 5.

Snapdragon 4 Gen 1	Snapdragon 4 Gen 2	Snapdragon 4s Gen 2
CPU	Snapdragon 4 Gen 12x Cortex-A786x Cortex-A55	Snapdragon 4 Gen 22x Cortex-A786x Cortex-A55	Snapdragon 4s Gen 22x Cortex-A786x Cortex-A55
GPU	Snapdragon 4 Gen 1Adreno	Snapdragon 4 Gen 2Adreno	Snapdragon 4s Gen 2Adreno
DSP	Snapdragon 4 Gen 1Hexagon	Snapdragon 4 Gen 2Hexagon	Snapdragon 4s Gen 2Hexagon
Modem	Snapdragon 4 Gen 1Snapdragon X51 5G2.5Gbps down,0.9Gbps up	Snapdragon 4 Gen 2Snapdragon X61 5G2.5Gbps down,0.9Gbps up	Snapdragon 4s Gen 2Snapdragon X61 5G1Gbps down
Cameras	Snapdragon 4 Gen 132MP single25MP+13MP dual13MP+13MP+13MP triple108MP snapshot	Snapdragon 4 Gen 232MP single16MP+16MP dual108MP snapshot	Snapdragon 4s Gen 225MP single or 13MP+13MP dual84MP snapshot
Quick Charge	Snapdragon 4 Gen 14+	Snapdragon 4 Gen 24+	Snapdragon 4s Gen 24+
Bluetooth	Snapdragon 4 Gen 15.2	Snapdragon 4 Gen 25.1	Snapdragon 4s Gen 25.1
Process	Snapdragon 4 Gen 16nm	Snapdragon 4 Gen 24nm	Snapdragon 4s Gen 24nm

Otherwise, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 was announced in June 2023. It delivers a few upgrades over the Gen 1 chip like a 4nm design for greater efficiency, a more capable X61 5G modem, and a slightly faster CPU clock speed. Unfortunately, there are also a couple of downgrades compared to the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1, namely the somewhat inferior GPU and Bluetooth 5.1 instead of 5.2. No, there’s no 4K recording support here, either.

The latest Snapdragon 4 series processor is the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2, and it’s also the least capable of all recent releases in this lineup. The chip was announced in July 2024 and promises to bring gigabit 5G speeds to the $100 segment. This achievement is due to the inclusion of a Snapdragon X61 modem. Other noteworthy specs include a ho-hum CPU (2x Cortex-A78, 6x Cortex-A55), Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi 5 connectivity standards, and a 4nm manufacturing process for improved efficiency. But you should expect a few downgrades from the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 and 2, such as a lower CPU clock speed, lower refresh rate support, and reduced camera resolution (84MP versus 108MP).

There’s clearly a theme with all three chips here. You’re getting small, efficient processors that can handle the basics just fine and they’ll support 5G without a problem. Just don’t expect to see Wi-Fi 6 or newer, advanced camera capabilities, and generative AI features.

Notable Snapdragon 4 series phones

• HMD Fusion
• Motorola Moto G 2024
• Redmi Note 12 5G
• Redmi Note 13 5G

That’s all for our Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC guide! Let us know your thoughts on the silicon giant’s portfolio in the comments. You can also check out our article charting the history of the Snapdragon 8 family.

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