Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 leak reveals chip may bolster 64-bit-only era following the Pixel 7

Qualcomm logo.
(Image credit: Android Central)

What you need to know

  • New rumors about the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 reveals its potentially shifting core configuration.
  • The new SoC is rumored to have a 2+3+2+1 core configuration and a new "titanium" cluster which could be clocked higher.
  • The Adreno 750 (Gen 7.9.0) GPU is also rumored for the mobile platform.
  • The chip is still speculated to release in late 2023.

As Qualcomm continues to push the envelope on flagship phone performance, the strength of its next SoC may be a bit different than previously presumed. The latest round of leaks was tweeted in a thread by Kuba Wojciechowski, revealing the possible configuration of Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

Initially, previous leaks about the new Qualcomm chip codenamed "Lanai" suggested it may feature a 1+5+2 core configuration. Now, the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile platform will allegedly contain a 2+3+2+1 core configuration. This configuration is quite different from the previous Snapdragon 8 Gen 2's 1+4+3 configuration.

The leak says the upcoming SoC will be comprised of "silver," "gold," "titanium," and "gold+" cores, respectively. Wojciechowski then says this new chip will be the first to contain a "titanium" cluster, though not much is known on how it differs or what impact it may have on a phone's performance. The running theory is that it could offer more cache, or it could be clocked higher.

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Furthermore, the core leak for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 states the "Hunter" and "Hayes" codenames refer to unannounced CPU cores. Apparently, these cores drop 32-bit support, meaning Qualcomm's upcoming chip could probably only support 64-bit, as referenced in a piece of the company's code.

This would mean more 64-bit-only phones may arrive later this year following the launch of the Pixel 7, which was the first Android phone with that distinction.

Strong and stable graphics matter even on a phone, and the leak touches on that, suggesting the next release may feature an Adreno 750 GPU. This would see the new chip upgrading to an Adreno Gen 7.9.0 over the previous iteration's Gen 7.2.0. For now, it's speculated the GPU maximum frequency is sitting around 770MHz, but this could change.

The latest round of leaks ends by speculating the next Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile platform may launch in late 2023. The chip was previously assumed to launch in October 2023, which would put it a month ahead of the 8 Gen 2 from 2022. Considering Samsung tossed Exynos and went with a custom tailored 8 Gen 2 for the Galaxy S23 series, it'll be interesting to see if the Korean OEM opts for the same thing come 2024 after the chip's release.

Nickolas Diaz
News Writer

Nickolas is always excited about tech and getting his hands on it. Writing for him can vary from delivering the latest tech story to scribbling in his journal. When Nickolas isn't hitting a story, he's often grinding away at a game or chilling with a book in his hand.