The launch is anticipated in late 2023 with no 32-bit support.
As Apple prepares to further expand its lead in smartphone chip performance, Qualcomm is facing immense pressure to rival the situation. It looks like they are releasing their next SoC with a new core configuration, according to recent leaks tweeted by Kuba Wojciechowski. Previous rumours hinted at a 1+5+2 core setup, but now the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 might have a 2+3+2+1 configuration. This is a big change from the 1+4+3 setup of the previous Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
Qualcomm is naming these cores as “Silver”, “Gold”, “Titanium”, and “Gold+” cores. According to Wojciechowski, the upcoming chip will include a “titanium” cluster, a first for Qualcomm. While we don’t know much about this new cluster, some experts speculate that it may provide higher clock speeds or increased cache size. Thinking about the potential performance benefits this new feature could bring to smartphones is exciting!
In addition to the new core configuration, the “Hunter” and “Hayes” codenames seem to be two unannounced CPU cores that drop 32-bit support, which could mean that the chip will only support 64-bit. This could lead to more 64-bit-only phones arriving on the market, following in the footsteps of the Pixel 7, the first Android phone only to support 64-bit.
The leaks also suggest that the new chip will feature an Adreno 750 GPU, an upgrade over the Adreno Gen 7.2.0 GPU found in the previous generation. The maximum frequency of the GPU is rumoured to be around 770MHz, but this is subject to change.
Finally, it’s speculated that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 may launch in late 2023, a month earlier than the 8 Gen 2 from 2022.
