Qualcomm Launches New Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 Chipset for Affordable Phones
Qualcomm has introduced its latest chipset, the Snapdragon 8S Gen 3, which is positioned slightly below the flagship 8 Gen 3 in terms of performance and price. The new chipset aims to bring most of the advanced features of the flagship 8 Gen 3 to more affordable smartphones.
The Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 includes a GPU similar to the 8 Gen 3 but with one less performance core and a lower frequency. It also utilizes a previous-generation modem and supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing for improved gaming experiences. Additionally, the chipset supports on-device generative AI models and can run large language models of up to 10 billion parameters.
According to Qualcomm’s Deepu John, the Snapdragon high-level tier can be categorized into three sub-categories, with the 8S series positioned just below the standard 8 Gen 3. The smartphone market is becoming increasingly complex, with manufacturers still incorporating the 2022 flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in non-flagship devices, while the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 also competes in the high-end market.
It appears that Qualcomm is striving to provide OEMs with a range of options to target different market segments and potentially retain them from looking towards competitors like MediaTek. By offering a more affordable yet capable chipset like the Snapdragon 8S Gen 3, Qualcomm aims to address the diverse needs of smartphone manufacturers and consumers in the ever-evolving market.
