Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, a novel mobile system-on-a-chip (SoC) with a strong emphasis on incorporating generative AI into future smartphones. This announcement took place during the Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii. According to Qualcomm, this new SoC was meticulously designed with generative AI in mind.

The All New Powerhouse from Qualcomm: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 brings several enhancements over its predecessor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. Notable improvements include an upgraded Kryo CPU, boasting a 30% performance increase and 20% power efficiency boost, a utilization of Arm Cortex-X4 technology, an enhanced AI Engine, Adreno GPU, the Hexagon NPU with significant performance gains, and various upgrades tailored for gaming, photography, and AI applications.

This year, Qualcomm is placing a strong focus on the artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities of its mobile offerings. Their AI engine now supports multi-modal generative AI models, large language models (LLM), language vision models (LVM), and transformer network-based automatic speech recognition (ASR), all with over 10 billion parameters. Large language models can now operate at a rate of up to 20 tokens per second, leading to improved virtual assistant performance and more personalized responses, enabled by Qualcomm’s Sensing Hub technologies.

Qualcomm has also enhanced its image processing capabilities, incorporating AI-driven features like the Spectra image processor, hardware acceleration for depth sensors, and support for multiple HDR sensors, including multi-frame and triple video capture. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 supports up to 36 MP triple cameras at 30 frames per second (fps), 64+36 MP dual cameras (30fps, zero shutter lag), and even up to a 108 MP primary camera at 30fps with zero shutter lag. It additionally offers up to 200-megapixel photo capture, AI-based facial recognition, and AI for 3A (auto-focus, auto-exposure, and auto-white balance). Video capture capabilities may go up to 8K HDR.

Qualcomm has improved its Elite Gaming features, delivering up to 240 fps on 240Hz displays, upscaling to 8K with Snapdragon Game Super Resolution, and introducing the Adreno Frame Motion Engine 2.0. Furthermore, the inclusion of Unreal Engine version 5.2 brings hardware-accelerated ray tracing and Lumen global illumination to the platform.

Security features have also been enhanced with the introduction of a Trust Management Engine, Qualcomm’s Trusted Execution Environment & Services (TEE), and support for Android’s DICE-based remote key provisioning, all of which improve service API robustness. The Secure Processing Unit (SPU) of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is designed to work seamlessly with the most recent Android Strongbox software components.

In terms of connectivity, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is equipped with the Snapdragon X75 5G Modem-RF system, providing 5G compatibility with download and upload speeds of 10Gbps and 3.5Gbps, respectively. The 5G modem is enhanced with an integrated AI tensor hardware accelerator for improved speed and coverage. Additionally, Wi-Fi 7 is supported, with peak speeds of 5.8Gbps.

Chris Patrick, senior vice president and general manager of mobile handsets at Qualcomm, stated, “Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 infuses high-performance AI across the entire system to deliver premium-level performance and extraordinary experiences to consumers. This platform unlocks a new era of generative AI, enabling users to generate unique content, assist with productivity, and explore breakthrough use cases.”

Android smartphones powered by the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 are expected to hit the market in the near future, with ASUS, Honor, OnePlus, OPPO, Sony, Vivo, Xiaomi, and ZTE among the brands partnering with Qualcomm to incorporate this SoC into their devices.

In addition to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Qualcomm also introduced the Snapdragon X Elite, a PC platform aimed at enhancing the power and capabilities of artificial intelligence applications with greater speed and responsiveness.

Finally, Qualcomm unveiled Snapdragon Seamless, a cross-device system designed to eliminate barriers between OEMs, devices, and operating systems. This technology enables consumers to seamlessly switch between devices and operating systems across PCs, tablets, and mobile devices and is integrated into the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Snapdragon X Elite platforms.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Specs

1 x Kryo Prime CPU (Arm Cortex-X4 based) at up to 3.3GHz, 5 x Kryo Performance CPUs (3 x Arm Cortex-A720 at up to 3.2GHz and 3 x Arm Cortex-A720 based at up to 3GHz), 2x Kryo Efficiency CPUs (Arm Cortex-A520 based) at up to 2.3GHz, ARMv9 architecture
4nm Process Technology
Built-in Qualcomm Snapdragon X75 5G modem-RF system
Up to 200MP single camera
8K HDR Video Capture at 30 FPS
Display Support up to
Support for LP-DDR5x
Wi-Fi 7
USB Version 3.1 Gen 2; USB Type-C Support, UFS 4.0
Qualcomm Quick Charge 5 technology