After MediaTek decided to rebrand its processor lineup in 2023, it seems that Qualcomm is hopping onto the rebranding bandwagon as well, because the recently-announced Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor seems to be a secret rebrand of last year’s Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, with the exact same GPU and CPU core structure, manufactured on the same 4nm Samsung process.

snapdragon 7s gen 2, 6 gen 1 thumbnail
Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 vs 6 Gen 1 Thumbnail. (Source: Leo Wong De Quan/Gizmochina)

To illustrate the point, the table below shows a side-by-side of the general specifications between the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 vs. the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 Mobile Processor.

Snapdragon 7s Gen 2Snapdragon 6 Gen 1
Launch DateSeptember 2023September 2022
Performance CPU Cores4x ARM Cortex A78 @ 2.4GHz4x ARM Cortex A78 @ 2.2GHz
Efficiency CPU Cores4x ARM Cortex A55 @ 1.95GHz4x ARM Cortex A55 @ 1.8GHz
GPUAdreno 710Adreno 710
ModemSnapdragon X62 5G ModemSnapdragon X62 5G Modem
ConnectivityFastConnect 6700 Mobile Connectivity SystemFastConnect 6700 Mobile Connectivity System
Memory SupportMax. LPDDR5 – 3200MHzMax. LPDDR5 – 3200MHz
Manufacturing ProcessSamsung 4nmSamsung 4nm
Antutu Score606,420574,279
Smartphones Using the SoCRedmi Note 13 ProHonor X50, Motorola G Stylus 2023
Comparison table between Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 vs 6 Gen 1. (Leo Wong De Quan/Gizmochina)

Looking further into specs, we notice that both processors have an identical Adreno 710 GPU, an identical Qualcomm X62 5G/LTE modem, and the same connectivity standards support powered by the same Qualcomm FastConnect 6700 system. In addition, both are manufactured on Samsung’s 4nm semiconductor node process. Even the Antutu scores between the devices are eerily similar as well.

Yet one is being marketed as a Snapdragon 7 series chipset whereas the other is being marketed as a Snapdragon 6 series chipset by Qualcomm. In fact, the 2023 Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, should instead be called the Snapdragon 6+ Gen 1, because the new chipset only overclocks the CPU cores on the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, whilst everything from the GPU to even the connectivity standards (Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2) are the same as the 2022 Snapdragon 6 Gen 1.

When compared to the highly regarded Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 (with an Antutu score of 1,109,000) this year, it can be easily seen that the newly announced Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 (with an Antutu score of around 600,000) seems to be a misleading chipset by Qualcomm to trick users into thinking the chipset has the same tier of performance as its other chipsets in the Snapdragon 7 series lineup like the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 and 7+ Gen 2. When in reality, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 performs about the same as a Snapdragon 6 series launched in yesteryear.

Do you think that Qualcomm’s naming of the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor is fair to the consumers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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