A few days after MediaTek announced their flagship chipset for 2023, Qualcomm announced their new flagship, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
The new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will remain on the 4nm TSMC fabrication process, but it is unclear if this is the 2nd gen 4nm like the MediaTek counterpart.
The new Prime core will be based on the Arm Cortex-X3 and has a frequency of 3.2GHz.
There are three performance cores which are likely based on the Coretex-A715 with a frequency of 2.8Ghz, and four efficiency cores which are likely based on the Cortex-A510 at 2.0Ghz.
Just like MediaTek, Qualcomm is introducing real-time hardware accelerated Ray Tracing with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The GPU will also be capable of hardware-accelerated H.265 and VP9 decoding. It is also the first time a Snapdragon chipset will support the AV1 codec with support for video playback up to 8K HDR at 60 frames per second. Qualcomm claim the GPU is 25% faster while being 40% more power efficient.
Qualcomm is putting increasing focus on AI performance, and the new chipset has a bigger tensor accelerator for up to 4.35X increased AI performance. This will also be the first Snapdragon chipset to support INT4—a revolutionary AI precision format—with 60% performance/watt improvement.
The new Qualcomm Spectra 18-bit triple Cognitive ISP is the first ever AI-powered camera processor from Qualcomm. It features real-time Semantic Segmentation, which allows it to recognise and optimise specific aspects of an image, including faces, clothes, backgrounds, and more.
The chipset will then also integrate the new Snapdragon X70, which improves performance all around and is capable of 10Gbps downloads.
It then has the FastConnect 7800 connectivity system, which introduces WiFi 7 with peak speeds of up to 5.8 Gbps and Bluetooth 5.3.
Perhaps what is more important than all these stats is that Qualcomm will without a doubt dominate the flagship market in 2023. Samsung has confirmed the Galaxy S23 will use Qualcomm globally, ditching their own flagship Exynos chipset. As much as MediaTek is trying to break into the western market, it is looking unlikely that we will see many, if any, Dimensity 9200 based phones launched in the UK or EU.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs Mediatek Dimensity 9200 Specification
| Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | MediaTek Dimensity 9200 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Fabrication Process | TSMC 4nm | TSMC 4nm 2nd Gen |
| CPU | 1 x Kryo Prime Core (Arm Cortex X3 @ 3.2 GHz) 3 x Kryo Performance (Arm Cortex A715 @ 2.8GHz) 4 x Kryo Efficiency Cores (Arm Cortex A510 @ 2.0GHz) 35% faster than previous gen 40% more power efficient |
1 x Arm Cortex X3 @ 3.05 GHz 3 x Arm Cortex A715 @ 2.85GHz 4 x Arm Cortex A510 @ 1.8GHz |
| GPU | Andreno GPU HW Ray Tracing GPU +25% performance vs Gen1 +45% efficiency |
Arm Immortalis G715 11x Cores HW Ray Tracing GPU |
| RAM | LP-DDR5x memory up to 4200 MHz | LPDDR5X 8533Mbps +13% bandwidth |
| APU | Hexagon 2x Tensor |
APU 690 |
| ISP | Qualcomm Spectra Image Signal Processor Cognitive ISP, Triple 18-bit ISPs Up to 36 MP triple camera @ 30 FPS with Zero Shutter Lag Up to 64+36 MP dual camera @ 30 FPS with Zero Shutter Lag Up to 108 MP single camera @ 30 FPS with Zero Shutter Lag Up to 200 Megapixel Photo Capture |
Imagiq 890 RGBW ISP |
| Display | 4K @ 60 Hz QHD+ @ 144 Hz |
MiraVision 890 |
| 5G | Snapdragon X70 5G Modem-RF System Downlink: Up to 10 Gbps Uplink: Up to 3.5 Gbps 5G mmWave and sub-6 GHz, standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) modes, standalone mmWave and mmWave-sub6 dual connectivity, FDD, TDD mmWave: 8 carriers, 2×2 MIMO Sub-6 GHz: 4×4 MIMO |
8cc mmWave (2x faster vs non-mmW) 4cc sub-6GHz (25% faster vs 3cc) 7.9Gbps Peak Throughput mmWave SMART Beaforming (+25%) |
| Connectivity | Fast Connect 7800 WiFi 7 with HBS Up to 5.8Gbps Wi-Fi Spectral Bands: 5 GHz, 6 GHz Channel Bandwidth: 20/40/80/160 MHz 8-stream sounding (for 8×8 MU-MIMO) MIMO Configuration: 2×2 (2-stream) MU-MIMO (Uplink & Downlink) 4K QAM Dual-band simultaneous MLO (2×2 + 2×2) Bluetooth 5.3 |
WiFi 7 ready Bluetooth 5.3 Up to 13 navigation ssytems |
Full Press Release
During Snapdragon Summit 2022, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. introduced its latest premium mobile platform, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform will define a new standard for connected computing, intelligently engineered with groundbreaking AI across the board to enable extraordinary experiences. This new mobile platform will be adopted by global OEMs and brands including ASUS Republic of Gamers, HONOR, iQOO, Motorola, nubia, OnePlus, OPPO, REDMAGIC, Redmi, SHARP, Sony Corporation, vivo, Xiaomi, XINGJI/MEIZU, and ZTE, with the first commercial devices expected by the end of 2022.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Key Features
- Snapdragon Smart: Powered by the Company’s fastest, most advanced Qualcomm AI Engine, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 provides groundbreaking AI integrated across the entire system. Fueled by an upgraded Qualcomm Hexagon Processor, users can experience faster natural language processing with multi-language translation and advanced AI camera features. The Hexagon processor features brand new upgrades to the architecture, including micro tile inferencing and a bigger tensor accelerator for up to 4.35X increased AI performance. This is also the first Snapdragon mobile platform to support INT4—a revolutionary AI precision format—with 60% performance/watt improvement for sustained AI inferencing. The latest Qualcomm Sensing Hub, which now packs dual AI processors, supports intuitive experiences that enable custom wake words. Expect additional features and tools from the Qualcomm AI Stack, including the Qualcomm AI Studio, so developers can give life to even more next-gen AI apps.
- Snapdragon Sight: This platform defines a new era of professional quality camera experiences with the first Cognitive ISP. Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 automatically enhances photos and videos in real time with semantic segmentation, which uses an AI neural network to make the camera contextually aware of faces, facial features, hair, clothes, skies and more – and optimize them individually so every detail receives customized professional image tuning. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is also tuned to support new image sensors. Sony Semiconductor Solutions is the first to develop quad digital overlap HDR technology, and which is fine-tuned for Snapdragon. The Samsung ISOCELL HP3, the first 200-megapixel image sensor optimized for Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, will deliver professional quality photos and videos. This is also the first Snapdragon to include an AV1 codec with support for video playback up to 8K HDR at 60 frames per second.
- Snapdragon Elite Gaming: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 debuts new Snapdragon Elite Gaming features, including real time hardware-accelerated ray tracing that delivers life-like light, reflections, and illuminations to mobile games. The upgraded Qualcomm Adreno GPU delivers up to 25% faster performance and the Qualcomm Kryo CPU enables up to 40% more power efficiency, so users can achieve champion-level gameplay with longer battery life. Gamers will also be able to experience photorealistic human characters in their games with the world’s first mobile optimized support for Unreal Engine 5 Metahumans Framework on Snapdragon.
- Snapdragon Connect: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is the world’s most advanced 5G platform, boasting unparalleled connectivity from 5G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Featuring the Snapdragon X70 5G Modem-RF System with Qualcomm 5G AI Processor, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 harnesses the power of AI to enable breakthrough 5G upload and download speeds, coverage, latency, and power efficiency. This is the first Snapdragon platform to support 5G+5G/4G Dual-SIM Dual-Active, which harnesses the power and flexibility of two 5G SIMs at once. This ultra-advanced platform also features the Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 connectivity system, offering the lowest latency Wi-Fi 7 and dual Bluetooth connectivity for sustained immersion. High Band Simultaneous Multi-Link enables peak Wi-Fi 7 performance globally allowing for smooth, blazing connections when streaming, gaming, and more.
- Snapdragon Sound: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 supports Snapdragon Sound technology for premium and immersive music, calls, and gaming. It features spatial audio with dynamic head-tracking for complete surround-sound immersion and support for 48kHz lossless music streaming so every detail of music sounds like the artist intended. Gamers can stay in the moment with the lowest-ever latency at 48ms, made even better by a built-in voice backchannel for crystal-clear communication to and from other players.
- Snapdragon Secure: The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform is safeguarded with Snapdragon Secure, offering the latest in isolation, cryptography, key management, attestation, and more—all intricately designed to protect users’ data and privacy. This premium level of protection limits the exposure and exploitation of data on devices powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
