Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon 8s Gen 4: A Powerful Chip for Flagships at an Affordable Price

Qualcomm has announced Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, a new mobile processor designed to deliver high performance and advanced features at a more accessible price compared to top-tier chips.

Key Features of Snapdragon 8s Gen 4

Unlike the Snapdragon 8 Elite, the new chipset does not use Oryon cores but is based on the Kryo architecture. Despite this, Qualcomm claims a performance boost of up to 49% compared to the previous generation.

The processor is built on a 4nm process (likely TSMC’s N4P), making it less power-efficient than the Snapdragon 8 Elite, but still a powerful option.

Core configuration:

• 1 × 3.20 GHz (flagship core),
• 3 × 3.00 GHz (high-performance cores),
• 2 × 2.80 GHz (balanced cores),
• 2 × 2.50 GHz (power-efficient cores).

While Qualcomm has not revealed the GPU name, the company promises 49% better graphics performance compared to Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, along with a 31% CPU boost and 39% improved power efficiency.

Network & Connectivity Support

The chipset includes a high-speed 5G modem with download speeds of up to 4.2 Gbps (but lacks mmWave support). It also features:

• Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, UFS 4.0, and LPDDR5X (4800 MHz).

Enhanced NPU & Camera Capabilities

The neural processing unit (NPU) delivers 44% faster AI computations, ensuring better on-device AI performance. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 also features an advanced ISP with support for:

• Cameras up to 320 MP,
• 8K HDR playback @ 60FPS,
• 4K HDR recording @ 60FPS.

Expectations & Market Prospects

The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 is expected to power premium smartphones from Chinese manufacturers, though specific devices featuring the chip have not yet been announced.