Qualcomm’s high-end flagship mobile chipsets get a “plus” version every year, but this year has been a different story. The chip giant has introduced an “s” version of its flagship chip – the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. Many are excited to see how this new Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chip compares with the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
We’ll bring you every detail you need to know about these two high-end Qualcomm chipsets, including the benchmarking details, to help you make a better purchase decision.
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs 8 Gen 3: Spec Sheet Comparison
| Features | Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Process Node | 4nm (TSMC) | 4nm (TSMC) |
| CPU Cores | 8 | 8 |
| CPU Architecture | 1 x Cortex-X4 @ 3.0 GHz 4 x Cortex-A720 @ 2.8 GHz 3 x Cortex-A520 @ 2.0 GHz | 1 x Cortex-X4 @ 3.3 GHz 3 x Cortex-A720 @3.15 GHz 2 x Cortex-A720 @ 2.96 GHz 2 x Cortex-A520 @ 2.27 GHz |
| GPU | Adreno 735 @ 1100 MHz | Adreno 750 @ 770 MHz |
| NPU | Hexagon NPU | Hexagon NPU |
| RAM/Storage | – Up to 24 GB RAM – LPDDR5X RAM @ 4200 MHz – UFS 4.0 Storage | – Up to 24 GB RAM – LPDDR5X RAM @ 4800 MHz – UFS 4.0 Storage |
| Camera | – 200MP (Maximum Resolution) – 4K videos @ 60FPS | – 200MP (Maximum Resolution) – 8K Videos @ 30 FPS or 4K @ 120FPS |
| Display (Resolution) | QHD+ @ 144 Hz or 4K Ultra HD @ 60 Hz | QHD+ @ 144 Hz or 4K Ultra HD @ 60 Hz |
| Display (HDR) | HDR10, HDR10+, HDR Vivid | HDR10, HDR10+, HDR Vivid |
| Connectivity | – Snapdragon X70 5G Modem – Up to Wi-Fi 7 Support – Bluetooth 5.4 – 5G Support | – Snapdragon X75 5G Modem – Up to Wi-Fi 7 Support – Bluetooth 5.4 – 5G Support |
| NFC | Supported | Supported |
| Charging | Quick Charge 5 Support | Quick Charge 5 Support |
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs 8 Gen 3: Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 scores:
| Geekbench 6 | Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Single-core | 2012 | 5452 |
| Multi-core | 5545 | 7091 |
Geekbench 6 GPU scores:
| Geekbench 6 (GPU) | Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
|---|---|---|
| OpenCL | 8745 | 14987 |
| Vulkan | 10367 | 16538 |
AnTuTu V10 scores:
| AnTuTu V10 | Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 371183 | 464461 |
| GPU | 536455 | 877776 |
| Memory | 368763 | 402467 |
| UX | 276644 | 370028 |
| Total score | 1553045 | 2114732 |
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs 8 Gen 3: CPU
Both Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and 8 Gen 3 chipsets have eight Kyro cores and pack the same cores, although they have dissimilar core architectures with different clock speeds, which makes a significant difference in the benchmarks.
The Cortex-X4 prime core in the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is clocked at 3.0 GHz (vs 3.3 GHz in the 8 Gen 3). The four Cortex-A720 performance cores operate at 2.8 GHz in the 8s Gen 3, while the 8 Gen 3 has three of them clocked at 3.2 GHz and two running at 3.0 GHz.
The SD 8 Gen 3 has more performance cores, and all of them run at higher clock speeds than those in the SD 8s Gen 3. The Cortex-A520 power-efficiency cores in SD 8s Gen 3 run at 2.0GHz (vs 2.3 GHz in the SD 8s Gen 3).
While Qualcomm has used the same cores in both chipsets, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has a different core architecture, featuring an additional performance core, and all eight cores operate at a higher clocked speed than those in the SD 8s Gen 3. So, there’ll be a performance gap with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 leading the race.
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs 8 Gen 3: RAM and Storage
Both Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 support UFS 4.0 storage, ensuring fast read and write speeds. However, the LPDDR5 RAM on the 8s Gen 3 operates at a lower speed of 4200 MHz (vs 4800 MHz on the 8 Gen 3). This means the files can be fetched at the same speed in both chipsets, but it will take less time to load into the memory on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered phone.
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs 8 Gen 3: GPU
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 ships with an Adreno 735 GPU, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has a more powerful Adreno 750 GPU. You can easily guess that the latter would provide a better gaming experience.
While the Adreno 735 in the SD 8s Gen 3 supports most Snapdragon Elite Gaming features, including Hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing, Super Resolution, HDR gaming, and Adreno Frame Motion Engine, it lacks support for Unreal Engine 5 Lumen Global Illumination and Reflection System. This means games running on an SD 8s Gen 3-powered phone won’t offer the same lighting, reflections, and shadows as you see on SD 8 Gen 3-powered phones.
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs 8 Gen 3: NPU
Both the Snapdragon chipsets feature a Hexagon NPU to support generative AI models with up to 10 billion parameters on-device. However, you can’t expect the same AI performance on both chipsets, as the CPU and GPU are involved in AI tasks. Hence, the SD Gen 3 has an edge over the SD 8s Gen 3, again.
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs 8 Gen 3: Multimedia
The two Qualcomm chipsets feature a Qualcomm Spectra 18-bit Triple Cognitive ISP, which is responsible for converting the raw data captured by the phone’s camera sensor and transforming it into a final image. It leverages on-device AI for real-time image and video enhancements and supports real-time semantic segmentation with up to 12 layers.
While the ISPs are the same, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 lets you record up to 8K HDR videos at 30 frames per second (FPS), which is limited up to 4K HDR videos at 60 FPS in the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. The former can take 4K videos at 120 FPS and slow-mo 720p videos at 960 FPS, while the latter can take 1080p slow-mo videos at 240 FPS.
Both the chipsets support the same camera combination, which are:
- Single camera with up to 200 MP resolution
- Single 108MP camera with MFNR and ZSL
- 64 MP+ 36 MP dual cameras with MFNR and ZSL
- 36 MP triple cameras with MFNR and ZSL
MFNR stands for Multi-frame Noise Reduction, and ZSL means Zero Shutter Lag.
Besides 8K video recording, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 lacks support for several camera features, such as Truepic photo capture, AI-powered Night Vision, and video object eraser.
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs 8 Gen 3: Connectivity
Both the Qualcomm chipsets feature the same Qualcomm’s FastConnect 7800 system. Hence, both of them support Bluetooth 5.4, Bluetooth Low Energy, and Wi-Fi 7. However, they do differ in terms of modems.
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 has an older Snapdragon X70 5G modem with pack download and upload speeds of 6.5 Gbps and 3.5 Gbps, respectively. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 features a newer Snapdragon X75 5G modem that can offer a maximum download speed of 10 Gbps while the upload speed remains the same.
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs 8 Gen 3: Which is Better?
From the spec sheet itself, it’s pretty clear that the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is a toned-down version of the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. The latter has powerful CPU, GPU, and imaging capabilities. In fact, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has an edge over the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 in all departments.
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is an affordable version of the flagship 8 Gen 3 chip, allowing OEMs to offer Snapdragon 8-series smartphones at a more affordable price. Although there are clear differences in CPU and GPU performance, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, in my opinion, is still a great chipset for high-end phones.
Which one of these two Qualcomm chipsets would you pick for your next smartphone? Do let us know your valuable thoughts in the comments below.
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