Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 mobile chipsets in the same month, March 2024. The interesting part is that both chipsets have the same cores and core cluster. In fact, their camera capabilities and many other parameters are also similar.
Too many similarities between these two chipsets have made it a little difficult for many people to pick the right one. If you’re in the same boat, don’t worry. In this post, we’ll compare the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 to see how they stack up against each other.
Let’s quickly review the spec sheet for an overview:
| SD 8s Gen 3 | SD 7+ Gen 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Release Date | March 2024 | March 2024 |
| Model number | SM8635 | SM7675 |
| Process node | 4nm TSMC | 4nm TSMC |
| CPU | 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 @ 2.8 GHz 4 x Cortex-A720 @ 2.6 GHz 3 x Cortex-A520 @ 1.9 GHz |
| GPU | Adreno 735 | Adreno 732 |
| GAMING | Snapdragon Elite Gaming Hardware-Accelerated Ray Tracing Game Post Processing Accelerators Qualcomm Adreno Frame Motion Engine 2.0 | Snapdragon Elite Gaming Game Post Processing Accelerators Qualcomm Adreno Frame Motion Engine 2.0 |
| NPU | Qualcomm Hexagon NPU | Qualcomm Hexagon NPU |
| Memory | Up to 24GB LPDDR5X RAM 4200 MHz (frequency) | Up to 24GB LPDDR5X RAM 4200 MHz (frequency) |
| Storage | UFS 4.0 | UFS 4.0 |
| Camera | Qualcomm Spectra 18-bit Triple ISPs 200 MP single camera 108 MP (MFNR, ZSL) single camera 64+36 MP (MFNR, ZSL) dual cameras 36+36+36 MP (MFNR, ZSL) triple cameras | Qualcomm Spectra 18-bit Triple ISPs 200 MP single camera 108 MP (MFNR, ZSL) single camera 64+36 MP (MFNR, ZSL) dual cameras 36+36+36 MP (MFNR, ZSL) triple cameras |
| Video recording | 4K @ 60 fps 1080p slow-mo @ 240 fps | 4K @ 60 fps 1080p slow-mo @ 240 fps |
| Display | QHD+ @ 144 Hz, 4K Ultra HD @ 60 Hz 10-bit color depth, HDR10, HDR10+, HDR Vivid | QHD+ @ 144 Hz, 4K Ultra HD @ 60 Hz 10-bit color depth, HDR10, HDR10+, HDR Vivid |
| Video Playback | 4K @ 120 fps | 4K @ 60 fps |
| Charging | Qualcomm Quick Charge 5 | Qualcomm Quick Charge 5 |
| Modem | Snapdragon X70 5G modem Peak download speed: 6.5 Gbps Peak upload speed: 3.5 Gbps | Snapdragon X63 5G modem Peak download speed: 5 Gbps Peak upload speed: 3.5 Gbps |
| Connectivity | 5G, Wi-Fi 7, NFC, Bluetooth 5.4, NavIC support | 5G, Wi-Fi 7, NFC, Bluetooth 5.4, NavIC support |
Benchmarks
[Geekbench 6]
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3
- Single core: 2012
- Multi core: 5545
Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3
- Single core: 1815
- Multi core: 4592
[AnTuTu 10]
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3
- CPU: 371183
- GPU: 536455
- Memory: 368763
- UX: 276644
- Total score: 1553045
Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3
- CPU: 380721
- GPU: 492624
- Memory: 336560
- UX: 250432
- Total score: 1460337
Performance
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and 7+ Gen 3 chips have one Cortex-X4 prime core, three Cortex-A720 performance cores, and four Cortex-A520 power-efficient cores, but those in SD 8s Gen 3 run at a higher clock speed, giving some additional performance boost.
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 has better CPU performance than the 7+ Gen 3. Geekbench and AnTuTu scores also tell the same thing.
Geekbench results show a small margin in the single-core results, but the difference between multi-core scores is high, with the 8s Gen 3 leading the race. This means tasks requiring multi-cores, such as gaming and video editing, will likely do better on Snapdragon 8s Gen 3-powered devices.
The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 has an Adreno 732 for handling graphic needs, whereas the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is equipped with an improved Adreno 735 GPU. The GPU scores in AnTuTu tests also prefer the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 over 7+ Gen 3.
In 3D Mark Wild Life benchmarking tests for graphics, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 attains an average of 72 fps (vs. 62 fps on Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3).
Camera Capabilities
There are no differences in the camera capabilities of these two chipsets. Both support up to 200-megapixel single camera, up to 108-megapixel single camera with zero-shutter lag (ZSL), 64-megapixel + 36-megapixel dual cameras with ZSL, 36-megapixel + 36-megapixel + 36-megapixel triple cameras with ZSL.
The chips support 4K video recording at 30 frames per second (fps) and 1080p slow-motion video recording at 240 fps.
Connectivity
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and 7+ Gen 3 chipsets support necessary connectivity features such as Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, and satellite systems (QZSS, Galileo, Beidou, GLONASS, NavIC, GPS). However, they do differ in terms of modems.
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 uses the Snapdragon X70 5G modem that offers peak download and upload speeds of 6.5 Gbps and 3.5 Gbps, respectively. The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3, on the other hand, is equipped with a Snapdragon X63 5G modem that has a slightly lower peak download speed of 5 Gbps but supports the same upload speed.
Miscellaneous
Both chips support up to 24 GB LPDDR5x RAM at 4200 MHz. They also support the same display on-device screen resolutions (QHD+ @ 144 Hz, 4K Ultra HD @ 60 Hz). However, there’s a slight difference in the video playback.
Both Snapdragon chips can play 4K videos, but the 8s Gen 3 supports 120 fps, which is limited to 60 fps in the 7+ Gen 3. Among the same capabilities also includes Qualcomm Quick Charge 5 support.
Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3: Which is Better?
Both Qualcomm chips — the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 — are high-performance chips and can handle the processing needs of most people. However, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 has a slight edge over the 7+ Gen 3 in terms of CPU and GPU performance.
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 also offers a higher peak download speed because of a newer 5G modem and supports video playback at a higher fps.
The battery efficiency is one area where the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 leaves the 8s Gen 3 behind. It’s because CPU cores in the 8s Gen 3 chip run at a higher clock speed than those in the 7+ Gen 3, resulting in higher battery usage.
Both are capable chips. But the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 seems a better choice overall. However, if you’re not a performance-heavy user and care a lot about battery efficiency, the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 might be a good choice.
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