Qualcomm switched up the naming of its Snapdragon platform final 12 months with the introduction of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and whereas the chipset had engaging upgrades, it had overheating points. The chip vendor course-corrected within the latter half of the 12 months with the launch of the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, switching to TSMC’s established 4nm node over Samsung LSI. The transfer resulted in enormous effectivity positive aspects, making the 8+ Gen 1 a little bit extra thrilling than the same old mid-cycle refresh. Qualcomm is as soon as once more doing issues a bit otherwise for 2023, with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that includes 4 distinct Cortex cores in a brand new configuration. It’s nonetheless constructed on a 4nm node, however you will discover a noticeable uptick in thermal effectivity. I used the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered iQOO 11 for the higher a part of a month now, and examined it alongside one of the best Android telephones of 2022. With the 2023 launch cycle set to kick off and a wave of telephones powered by Qualcomm’s newest silicon debuting within the coming days, let’s check out what you get with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and whether or not it is a noticeable improve. Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs. 8+ Gen 1 vs. 8 Gen 1: Hardware overviewWhy you possibly can belief Android Central

Our professional reviewers spend hours testing and evaluating services and products so you possibly can select one of the best for you. Find out extra about how we take a look at.It’s clear that the way in which ahead for Qualcomm and the business is 64-bit {hardware}, however as a result of there’s nonetheless a necessity for legacy 32-bit use instances, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 includes a mixture of the most recent and last-gen Cortex cores. But what’s fascinating this 12 months is the swap to a 1 + 4 + 3 core structure, a primary for Qualcomm. For the final 4 years, Qualcomm used a 1 + 3 + 4 configuration with 4 energy-efficient cores doing a bulk of the heavy lifting for mundane duties, and whereas there’s one fewer core this time round, general optimizations with the structure allowed Qualcomm to ship web positive aspects on the effectivity facet of issues. Here’s a high-level overview of the {hardware}: Swipe to scroll horizontallyCategorySnapdragon 8 Gen 2Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1Snapdragon 8 Gen 1CPU 1 x 3.2GHz Cortex X3, 2 x 2.8GHz Cortex A715, 2 x 2.8GHz Cortex A710, 3 x 2.0GHz Cortex A5101 x 3.19GHz Cortex X2, 3 x 2.75GHz Cortex A710, 4 x 1.8GHz Cortex A5101 x 3.0GHz Cortex X2, 3 x 2.5GHz Cortex A710, 4 x 1.8GHz Cortex A510GPUAdreno 740Adreno 730Adreno 730Display4K at 60Hz, QHD+ at 144Hz4K at 60Hz, QHD+ at 144Hz4K at 60Hz, QHD+ at 144HzMemoryLPDDR5XLPDDR5LPDDR5ConnectivitySnapdragon X70 5G modem, as much as 10Gbit downlink, FastConnect 7800 with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3Snapdragon X65 5G modem, as much as 10Gbit downlink, FastConnect 6900 with Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.2Snapdragon X65 5G modem, as much as 10Gbit downlink, FastConnect 6900 with Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.2Camera200MP single shot, 108MP zero shutter lag, 64MP + 36MP zero shutter lag, 10-bit HEIF200MP single shot, 108MP zero shutter lag, 64MP + 36MP zero shutter lag, 10-bit HEIF200MP single shot, 108MP zero shutter lag, 64MP + 36MP zero shutter lag, 10-bit HEIFVideo8K HDR video at 30fps, 4K at 120fps, 720p at 960fps8K HDR video at 30fps, 4K at 120fps, 720p at 960fps8K HDR video at 30fps, 4K at 120fps, 720p at 960fpsDecodeAV1, H.265, VP9H.265, VP9H.265, VP9Manufacturing nodeTSMC 4nmTSMC 4nmSamsung 4nmThe new core configuration with an elevated concentrate on the efficiency cluster permits the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 to do significantly better with multi-core workloads. The resolution to make use of the older Cortex A710 and A510 cores was clearly necessitated by a must work with 32-bit apps, and whereas this is not a problem with the Play Store, issues are a bit totally different in China, the place Qualcomm has an enormous set up base. There’s loads to love on the gaming entrance, and the Adreno 740 has an honest uptick over final 12 months’s Adreno 730. What’s fascinating right here is that there is ray tracing, so we could get to see cell video games that leverage the tech. What’s additionally new with this technology is AV1 decode; this was a obtrusive omission final 12 months, so it is good to see Qualcomm make amends. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 additionally picks up a brand new Wi-Fi modem that features Wi-Fi 7, but it surely’s unlikely the characteristic will likely be leveraged by most producers given the dearth of Wi-Fi 7 routers in the mean time. Qualcomm hasn’t modified a lot on the imaging facet of issues, with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 utilizing the identical basis as final 12 months. Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs. 8+ Gen 1 vs. 8 Gen 1: Performance(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)I’m utilizing the iQOO 11 because the baseline for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, ASUS Zenfone 9 for the 8+ Gen 1 and Galaxy S22 Ultra for the 8 Gen 1. Swipe to scroll horizontallyCategorySnapdragon 8 Gen 2Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1Snapdragon 8 Gen 1CrossMark (Overall)10741008999Productivity968967980Creativity11481042990Responsiveness120210361087Geekbench 5.1 (single-core)147413111005Geekbench 5.1 (multi-core)4760428631523DMark Wild Life Extreme (rating)2838280120983DMark Wild Life Extreme (FPS)1716.7512.55Due to the brand new core configuration, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 has a sizeable lead over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and 8+ Gen 1 in multi-core scores, and the Cortex X3 has a slender lead over the X2 for single-core workloads as nicely. The Adreno 740 has an enormous benefit over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 specifically, and that is all the way down to the thermal throttling points that plagued Qualcomm’s 2022 platform. The 8+ Gen 1 did not have these points, and that is why it is practically on par with the 8 Gen 2 in 3DMark’s Wild Life Extreme. While there may be noticeable uptick with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, I did not discover any distinction in real-world use. The Zenfone 9 with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 was simply as fluid in all day-to-day duties and the video games I examined, and I did not see any slowdowns with the 8 Gen 1 both. This is not a brand new phenomenon as Qualcomm’s high-end platforms have supplied loads of headroom for some time now, and even going again to the Snapdragon 888, I did not run into any points whereas gaming. So when you’re eyeing the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 pondering will probably be noticeably sooner in day by day use, that is not the case. That stated, there’s a clear differentiator for Qualcomm this 12 months, and that is gaming. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is totally wonderful for gaming, and it manages to ship sustained efficiency with none throttling in anyway. The better part is that there is no overheating even throughout prolonged gaming classes, so when you play loads of video games in your cellphone and are contemplating an improve this 12 months, you will discover a lot to love with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs. 8+ Gen 1 vs. 8 Gen 1: Battery lifeThe largest differentiator for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is the battery life, with Qualcomm’s tweaks for 2023 netting noticeable positive aspects right here. The iQOO 11 lasted noticeably longer than the iQOO 9 Pro with an identical utilization sample, and I see that being the case with different 2023 telephones that includes Qualcomm’s newest silicon. That needs to be welcome information to these eyeing a brand new cellphone this 12 months; the 8 Gen 2 delivers wonderful figures even with heavy use, and the swap to the brand new core configuration makes a noticeable distinction on this situation. The 8+ Gen 1 already fastened loads of the problems on this space, and Qualcomm is constructing on that basis with the 8 Gen 2. Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs. 8+ Gen 1 vs. 8 Gen 1: Is it well worth the improve? (Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)While the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 would not supply too many new options, it completely makes a distinction in key areas: gaming and battery life. The platform is significantly better with sustained gaming efficiency, and you will not see any lag or overheating even throughout prolonged gaming classes — this simply is not the case with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. There’s additionally a noticeable uptick on the battery facet of issues, and it is best to see a further 45 minutes to an hour’s price of screen-on-time over the 8 Gen 1 with the identical use instances. Throw in AV1 decode and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 abruptly turns into a way more engaging possibility. So when you’re mulling an improve in 2023, there’s loads of causes to make the swap to a cellphone that includes the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. If final 12 months was any indication, there will not be any scarcity of selection.