The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is here - Cortex-X4, 4nm, Generative AI, 240fps graphics

Qualcomm just launched the Snapdragon 8 Gen chipset. The flagship platform is built on the 4nm process and has a clear focus on AI, gaming, audio, and camera advancements.

If you want the all-important percentages - Gen 3 is 30% faster and 20% more efficient than Gen 2. The eight-core processor inside is highlighted by 1 Cortex-X4 prime core running up to 3.3 GHz, five performance cores at up to 3.2 GHz, and 2 efficiency cores clocked up to 2.3 GHz. There's LPDDR5x memory support up to 4800 MHz and as much as 24 GB. The chip supports Wi-Fi 7 up to 6 GHz, including 802.11be, 802.11ax, 80211ac, and 80211a/bg/n. The chip features the X75 5G modem with both sub-6 GHz and mmWave antennas.

AI is front and center in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. It all starts with the AI Engine, which supports multi-modal generative AI models and popular large language models for speech recognition - the chip can run up to 20 tokens per second for instant AI assistant responses. Qualcomm boasts that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 packs the world's fastest stable diffusion, which can generate an image in a fraction of a second.

Qualcomm's Sensing Hug securely accesses your personal data like favorite activities, fitness level, and location to give better AI assistant responses.

AI enhances the camera abilities as well. Semantic Segmentation can enhance the vibrancy and detail of images in real-time, while Night Vision video can brighten a dark scene. There's an object eraser for videos that can remove unwanted objects or people, Vlogger's View, which can capture both video from your selfie and rear camera. Photo Expansion can use generative AI to extend an image beyond the original captured data, and there's naturally some improvement to HDR.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 can deliver 'console-defying' gaming with 240 fps support on 240 Hz displays. Adreno Frame Motion Engine 2.0 can generate frames for smoother playback, and there's Unreal Engine 5.2 support.

The GPU inside the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is 25% faster, 25% more power efficient, and brings 40% better Ray Tracing.

Audiophiles will be glad to know that the new chip can deliver 24-bit 96 kHz lossless music over Bluetooth.

Qualcomm says devices powered by the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 will be available in the coming weeks. The chipmaker has partnered with Asus, Honor, iQOO, Meizu, Nio, Nubia, OnePlus, Oppo, realme, Redmi, RedMagic, Sony, vivo, Xiaomi, and ZTE.