Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon processors are one of the most common SoCs in the Android smartphone field. Samsung uses Snapdragon in its various market Galaxy S series, but these chips also power the vast majority of flagship Android phones on the market.
However, Snapdragon chips are not only found in expensive flagship smartphones; there is a whole range of processors designed specifically for phones, with varying prices; the performance and functionality differences between these models are significant.
Snapdragon 8 Series — Top-tier Processors
The best Qualcomm smartphone processor is the Snapdragon 8 series, with the latest and greatest flagship chip being the Snapdragon 8 Elite, launched in October 2024, which powers the next generation of high-end Android phones, including the OnePlus 13 and Xiaomi 15 series. It is also expected to power the Galaxy S25 series.
Since 2016, the Snapdragon 8 series has offered a custom CPU, with the 8 Elite using internal Oryon CPU cores. This octa-core CPU consists of two main cores clocked at 4.32GHz and six performance cores clocked at 3.53GHz. Qualcomm has abandoned small cores for the first time, following the lead of MediaTek and Apple chips. Either way, this chip company claims a 45% performance increase over previous flagship processors, while also stating its efficiency has improved by 44%.
Other features of the Snapdragon 8 Elite include a 3nm manufacturing process, a redesigned Adreno 830 GPU (reportedly 40% faster) and improved efficiency by 40%, as well as a reported 45% increase in AI chip performance. Qualcomm states that the new chip also provides “unlimited” object/subject detection layers for video and photo, along with support for single camera snapshots up to 320MP.
The previous flagship chip was the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, released in October 2023, which is still a very powerful chip, offering strong CPU (with a 1+5+2 layout), generative AI capabilities (including text-to-image generation in one second), faster graphics hardware, night mode video support, and video object eraser features.
Qualcomm also launched the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 in March 2024, aimed at supporting affordable flagship smartphones rather than mature high-end phones like 8 Gen 3 and 8 Elite. It features a powerful CPU (one Cortex-X4, four Cortex-A720, and three Cortex-A520) and an adjusted version of the older but still powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 GPU. This chipset also provides generative AI support on devices, but Qualcomm admits AI performance is slower than that of 8 Gen 3. The SoC also lacks 8K and super slow-motion video support, as seen in 8 Gen 2 and 8 Gen 3.
Snapdragon 8 Series Phones
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Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra
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OnePlus 12
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OnePlus 13
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Samsung Galaxy S24 Series
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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
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Xiaomi 15 Series
Snapdragon 7 Series — Mid-range Positioning
The Snapdragon 7 series was initially considered a mid-to-high-end processor series, but the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 merges high-end and mid-range features like other processors.
The Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 was released in March 2024, bringing 4nm design and powerful flagship-level CPU. Qualcomm did not specify GPU details, stating it is 2% faster than Snapdragon 45 Plus Gen 7. Otherwise, 7 Plus Gen 3 also brings support for generative AI features on devices (such as Gemini Nano, image generation), 4K/60fps HDR video, and Wi-Fi 7. Just don’t expect AV1 support, 8K video recording, and the best modems.
The Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 brings flagship-level CPU and generative AI support but sacrifices GPU, camera, and multimedia features.
The Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 is Qualcomm’s best mid-range chip of 2023, looking more like the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor. You have the same TSMC 4nm design, very similar CPU (one Cortex-X2, three Cortex-A710, four Cortex-A510), and a seemingly equally powerful ISP. However, we do see some compromises, such as a less impressive but still powerful GPU, a mid-range Snapdragon X62 modem, and missing 8K recording and other features.
Moving down, we have the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, released in September 2024. This is a follow-up to the popular but mid-range Snapdragon 7s Gen 6 chip found in devices like the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion, Redmi Note 7 Pro, and POCO X6. Fortunately, the new chip brings a powerful CPU that reportedly increases speed by 20%, consisting of four Cortex-A720 cores and four power-efficient Cortex-A520 cores. It also offers GPU speed improvements of 40%, AI performance increases of 30%, and energy savings of 12%. Unfortunately, you do miss out on 4K/60fps support, AV1 support, and some other high-end features.
The two least functional Snapdragon 7 series chips recently are the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 and 7s Gen 2, both expected to launch by the end of 2023. The former chip brings good CPU for mid-range chips (four Cortex-A715 and four Cortex-A510), while the latter offers an aging CPU setup (four Cortex-A78, four Cortex-A55) that should still be sufficient for gaming and other tasks. But don’t expect 4K/60fps support, Ultra HDR, generative AI intelligence, or cutting-edge connectivity options.
Snapdragon 7 Series Phones
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HMD Nokia
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Motorola Edge 50 Fusion
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Realme 12 Pro Plus 5G Phone
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Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G
Snapdragon 6 Series — Value for Money
The Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 is an overclocked version of the 2022 Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor, featuring a 2.4GHz CPU (four Cortex-A78, four Cortex-A55), an Adreno 710 GPU, and the same connectivity standards (such as Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6E). Qualcomm states that the 6 Gen 3 CPU performance has increased by 1%, and GPU performance has increased by 30%.
It is worth mentioning that the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 claims a 35% performance improvement in CPU and 695% in GPU over the powerful Snapdragon 40. Both 6 Gen 1 and 6 Gen 3 also feature a 4nm design, 200MP snapshot support, and 4K video capture. Until recently, the latter feature was rare in this price range.
The Snapdragon 6s Gen 3, which is basically a rebranded version of the older Snapdragon 695 chip, features a mid-range octa-core CPU (two Cortex-A78 and six Cortex-A55), an old Adreno 610 GPU, and Wi-Fi 5, rather than Wi-Fi 6 or higher, and is limited to 1080p/60fps video recording instead of 4K.
Finally, another recent Snapdragon 6 series product is the Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 1, which is just a slightly improved version of the 2020 Snapdragon 662, featuring a super old CPU (four Cortex-A73, four Cortex-A53), clock speed increased by 100MHz, an “enhanced” GPU, an old X11 LTE modem, and outdated 11nm manufacturing process. Don’t expect 4K video recording, slow-motion video support, or anything exceeding 48MP single camera support.
Snapdragon 6 Series Phones
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Motorola Moto G85
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Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G 2024
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Realme 12 Pro
Snapdragon 4 Series — Entry-level
The least functional Snapdragon series (besides the discontinued / dormant Snapdragon 200 series), designed for budget phones.
The Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 was released in the middle of 2022, offering a 6nm design CPU (two Cortex-A78, six Cortex-A55), this SoC shares many similarities with the Snapdragon 695, having the same X51 5G modem, similar camera features (no 4K recording here), FHD+ display resolution with 120Hz support, and Wi-Fi 5.
Otherwise, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 was released in June 2023. It offers some upgrades over the Gen 1 chip, such as a more efficient 4nm design, a more powerful X61 5G modem, and slightly faster CPU clock speeds. Unfortunately, there are also some downgrades compared to the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1, such as a slightly weaker GPU and Bluetooth 5.1 instead of 5.2. No, 4K recording is not supported here either.
The latest Snapdragon 4 series processor is the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2, which is also the weakest in all the latest versions of this series. This chip was released in July 2024, with other notable specifications including a high-performance CPU (two Cortex-A78, six Cortex-A55), Bluetooth 5.1, and Wi-Fi 5 connectivity standards, along with a 4nm manufacturing process for improved efficiency. But you should expect some downgrades from the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 and 2, such as lower CPU clock speeds, lower refresh rate support, and reduced camera resolution (84MP versus 108MP).
Snapdragon 4 Series Phones
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HMD Nokia
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Motorola Moto G 2024
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Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 5G
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Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 5G