Qualcomm has introduced the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, a new mobile chipset designed to power smartphones that aim to strike a balance between flagship-level performance and more accessible pricing. Positioned just below the high-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and the newer Snapdragon 8 Elite in the company’s product lineup, the 8s Gen 4 caters to manufacturers looking to bring near-premium features to mid-to-upper-tier devices without the expense typically associated with top-tier phones.
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 may cause some confusion with Qualcomm’s naming scheme, especially for those not keeping close tabs on the brand’s evolving portfolio. The “s” in the name traditionally denotes a scaled-down version of the primary flagship processor. While these chips often retain modern connectivity and graphics features, they tend to dial back performance slightly in order to lower costs and power demands. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 continues this trend, offering a compelling mix of specifications that closely resemble the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3—Qualcomm’s go-to flagship chip for most of 2024, which powered phones like the Galaxy S24 and OnePlus 12.
From a hardware standpoint, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 features an eight-core CPU configuration. It includes one Cortex-X3 prime core running at 3.2GHz, three mid-tier Cortex-A720-based Kyro cores at 3.0GHz, two additional mid-range cores at 2.8GHz, and a pair of energy-efficient Cortex-A720 cores clocked at 2.0GHz. This setup is fabricated using TSMC’s 4nm N4P process node, rather than the newer 3nm technology used in the Snapdragon 8 Elite, allowing for a better balance between cost and performance.
Performance-wise, Qualcomm is reporting a notable 31% increase in processing speed and a 39% reduction in power consumption compared to the previous Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. This upgrade is largely due to the shift away from the less powerful A520 cores used in the earlier generation.
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 also debuts with a new Adreno 825 GPU. While not as powerful as the Adreno 830 in the Snapdragon 8 Elite, this GPU still represents a considerable leap from the Adreno 750 found in the Gen 3 flagship. Qualcomm claims up to a 50% graphics performance improvement over the previous 8s series chip. It supports on-device ray tracing and includes gaming enhancements such as Frame Motion Engine and Super Resolution upscaling. HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision support are also onboard, although actual performance and visual fidelity will largely depend on game developer support.
Artificial intelligence capabilities have received a boost as well. According to Qualcomm, the AI processing performance has improved by 44% over the prior generation. Like its predecessor, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 is capable of running large language models locally on the device. While the company has not shared exact numbers on the NPU’s compute power, it confirms the use of expanded shared memory and support for multi-modal generative AI workloads.
Connectivity upgrades round out the package. The chip integrates Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X75 modem, which can reach download speeds of up to 4.2Gbps. However, support for mmWave 5G has been dropped, likely to help control costs. The chipset is also ready for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0, ensuring it remains compatible with the latest wireless technologies.
One notable absence from the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 is Qualcomm’s custom Oryon CPU cores, which appear in other premium products like the Snapdragon X laptop series and the Snapdragon 8 Elite. The company has opted to stick with Arm’s v9.2 reference architecture here, possibly as a result of its recent legal victory against Arm and an effort to maintain a clear distinction between its highest-end offerings and more affordable alternatives.
While Qualcomm hasn’t officially named the smartphone brands set to adopt the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, it’s likely to appear in devices from companies such as Xiaomi, Poco, Motorola, and potentially OnePlus. With the Snapdragon 7 series now more clearly differentiated in terms of performance, the 8s Gen 4 offers a compelling middle ground for devices looking to stay competitive in the upper-mid-range smartphone segment.
This new chipset is poised to redefine the expectations for “affordable flagship” phones in 2025, blending performance, power efficiency, and next-generation features without the premium price tag.
