Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 Announced

Qualcomm has officially unveiled the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, a premium-tier SoC designed to bring flagship-like performance at a slightly lower price point. It succeeds last year’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, boasting significant improvements in CPU, GPU, and AI processing.

Compared to the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, Qualcomm claims the new chip delivers 31% faster CPU performance, 49% faster GPU performance, 44% better AI performance, and 39% improved power efficiency.

These are solid improvements, making the 8s Gen 4 an attractive choice for upper mid-range or “flagship killer” devices. The jump in efficiency suggests better thermal management, which could translate into longer battery life and sustained performance.

Unlike the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, which will feature custom Oryon cores, the 8s Gen 4 sticks to Arm’s Cortex architecture, similar to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The CPU configuration includes:

• 1x Cortex-X4 Prime Core @ 3.2GHz
• 3x Cortex-A720 Performance Cores @ 3.01GHz
• 2x Cortex-A720 Performance Cores @ 2.80GHz
• 2x Cortex-A720 Performance Cores @ 2.02GHz

It is manufactured using TSMC’s 4nm process and is optimised for efficiency. The new Adreno 825 GPU promises hardware-accelerated ray tracing with global illumination, a feature becoming increasingly common in modern mobile gaming. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 also introduces Snapdragon Elite Gaming features, Snapdragon Game Super Resolution 2.0, and Adreno Frame Motion Engine 2.0, ensuring smoother gameplay and better power management for high-refresh-rate displays.

Thanks to Hexagon NPU, AI performance is getting a 44% boost, and it also supports on-device generative AI and leading LLMs/LVMs. This will enhance AI-driven features like real-time voice translation and smarter camera enhancements.

Qualcomm sticks with its 18-bit Triple AI ISP, but it now supports 4K Limitless Segmentation, identifying and enhancing over 250 objects in real-time. Night Vision 2.0 enables 4K low-light video recording at 30FPS, a feature that could rival Google’s Night Sight for video.

The built-in Snapdragon 5G modem supports download speeds of up to 4.2 Gbps, and Wi-Fi 7 ensures ultra-fast connectivity. Other features like Bluetooth 6.0, aptX Lossless, and Snapdragon Sound Technology Suite will elevate audio performance.

It also promises 39% better battery efficiency and longer battery backup.

The real test will be how brands price their devices using this chip. If we see the 8s Gen 4 in the Rs. 40000 segment, it could be a killer deal, offering near-flagship performance at a lower cost. But if it gets too close to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4’s pricing, buyers might just opt for the real flagship.

With the iQOO Z10 Turbo Pro launching in April as the first device to feature this chip, we won’t have to wait long to see how it performs in real-world scenarios.

Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 Specifications