Qualcomm, the California-based semiconductor company valued at 123.99 billion USD in 2023, is well-known for its series of 5G smartphone processors, called Snapdragon. However, the past few years saw the decline of Snapdragon’s reputation in the smartphone space due to its infamous Snapdragon 888 and 8 Gen 1 flagship processors which were constantly overheating and throttling performance. More recently, the company is also known to be streamlining their processor naming scheme and rebranding its chipsets like its main competitor, MediaTek.

These aforementioned actions have led many smartphone users and tech enthusiasts alike to ask the question – are Qualcomm Snapdragon processors more confusing in 2023? Yes, they are. And the reason could be that some Snapdragon processors are performing worse than its main competitor, the MediaTek Dimensity processors.

Qualcomm’s Naming Scheme Gone Confusing (Visualised) (Leo Wong De Quan/Gizmochina)

To clear up the confusion of Snapdragon processors in 2023, we have compiled all Snapdragon mobile processors with 5G network support to help our readers pick the best Snapdragon processor for their smartphones. We have neatly arranged them into 4 tiers based on their CPU structure, performance scores, and most importantly their day-to-day experience in a smartphone. The 4 tiers are respectively: Tier D (Poor), Tier C (Fair), Tier B (Good) and Tier A (Excellent).

Tier D: Poor Rating

Starting off with Tier D, there are a total of 6 Snapdragon processors that are rated as poor, as shown in Table 1. For simplicity’s sake, processors that feature the same CPU structure, GPU and semiconductor manufacturing as listed as one entity. For example, the Snapdragon 765, 765G, and 768G are listed as one entity in the table.

Snapdragon ChipHigh Performance CPU CoresEfficiency CPU CoresGPUNode ProcessAntutu Score
Snapdragon 480, 480+2x ARM Cortex A766x ARM Cortex A55Adreno 619Samsung 8nm350,035
Snapdragon 765, 765G, 768G2x ARM Cortex A766x ARM Cortex A55Adreno 620Samsung 7nm385,681
Snapdragon 6902x ARM Cortex A776x ARM Cortex A55Adreno 619LSamsung 8nm361,536
Snapdragon 750G2x ARM Cortex A776x ARM Cortex A55Adreno 619Samsung 8nm438,295
Snapdragon 4 Gen 1, Snapdragon 6952x ARM Cortex A786x ARM Cortex A55Adreno 619TSMC 6nm435,422
Snapdragon 4 Gen 22x ARM Cortex A786x ARM Cortex A55Adreno 613Samsung 4nm425,064
Table 1: Snapdragon Processors in Tier D (Source: Leo Wong De Quan / Gizmochina)

So one similarity across all the processors in Tier D, is that they utilise a 2+6 CPU structure, whereby there are 2 high-performance CPU cores, and 6 efficiency CPU cores that provide the performance for the smartphone. However, another fascinating similarity across these processors is that they all seem to be manufactured on Samsung’s manufacturing node, which has a reputation for being worse for a smartphone’s battery life than TSMC’s node because of the worse yields and power efficiency of the node. In turn, you get something like the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 in 2023, which somehow is worse than the MediaTek Dimensity 810, and Dimensity 800U found on the Realme 7 5G released more than 3 years ago.

The exception to the Samsung node is the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 and Snapdragon 695 which are manufactured on TSMC’s 6nm node, which has proved to give great battery life and okay performance to devices like the Poco X4 Pro and Redmi Note 12 5G. Nonetheless, the limitation of a 2+6 CPU structure on these processors still means that high-performance tasks are limited to slower speeds compared to the processors in Tier C.

Redmi Note 12 5G with Snapdragon 4 Gen 1. (Source: Xiaomi)

Tier C: Fair Rating

Tier C includes a variety of Snapdragon processors ranging from the low-midrange Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 to the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 found on 2022 Android premium smartphones like the OnePlus 10 Pro. The full list of the Tier C Snapdragon processors is shown in Table 2 below.

Snapdragon ChipHigh Performance CPU CoresEfficiency CPU CoresGPUNode ProcessAntutu Score
Snapdragon 780G4x ARM Cortex A784x ARM Cortex A55Adreno 642Samsung 5nm584,449
Snapdragon 778G, 778G+, 782G4x ARM Cortex A784x ARM Cortex A55Adreno 642LTSMC 6nm610,891
Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, Snapdragon 6 Gen 14x ARM Cortex A784x ARM Cortex A55Adreno 710Samsung 4nm612,735
Snapdragon 888, 888+1x Cortex X1, 3x Cortex A784x ARM Cortex A55Adreno 660Samsung 5nm868,121
Snapdragon 7 Gen 14x ARM Cortex A7104x ARM Cortex A510Adreno 644Samsung 4nm652,633
Snapdragon 8 Gen 11x Cortex X2, 1x ARM Cortex A7104x ARM Cortex A510Adreno 730Samsung 4nm1,105,598
Table 2: Snapdragon Processors in Tier C (Source: Leo Wong De Quan / Gizmochina)

Just like Tier D, Tier C has one glaring similarity across the lineup, the Snapdragon processors listed here are all manufactured on Samsung’s process node, with the exception of the Snapdragon 778G which is on TSMC’s 6nm process. 

Most importantly, Tier C processors like the Snapdragon 888 and 8 Gen 1 led to many complaints of overheating, and thermal throttling by smartphone users, that they felt cheated to buy such an expensive Android device only to have the phone be very hot in the hand after long sessions of smartphone use, or even worse, the smartphone’s motherboard being so hot that it burnt the motherboard and you have to pay an expensive fee to repair the smartphone entirely.

As for the less controversial Tier C processors, they are equipped with a 4+4 CPU structure, whereby there are 4 performance CPU cores, and 4 efficiency CPU cores to back up the CPU. The most popular amongst the Tier C processors is the Snapdragon 778G series of processors, because it was the only processor in this tier manufactured on TSMC’s 6nm process, meaning that didn’t suffer from the higher temperatures and higher power draw of its siblings that were manufactured on Samsung’s node instead. However for mid-range chips, the difference in power draw is mostly negligible, and the only limitation for the processor to have better performance comes down to a better GPU.

galaxy a52s 5g
Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G with Snapdragon 778G. (Source: Samsung)

The well-known power efficiency of the Snapdragon 778G, makes it attractive to smartphone manufacturers to put in their Android smartphone. In 2023, the processor can be found on devices as old as the Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G (2021), Nothing Phone (1) to devices released this year such as the Poco X5 Pro (2023) and Oppo Reno 10 Pro (2023).

Tier B: Good Rating

Moving into Tier B, we have only 1 Snapdragon processor in this tier, and that is the Snapdragon 865 series found in devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G, OnePlus 8 Pro, Poco F3 and Xiaomi Mi 11X.

Snapdragon ChipHigh Performance CPU CoresEfficiency CPU CoresGPUNode ProcessAntutu Score
Snapdragon 865, 865+, 8704x ARM Cortex A774x ARM Cortex A55Adreno 650TSMC 7nm801,876
Table 3: Snapdragon Processors in Tier B (Source: Leo Wong De Quan / Gizmochina)

Utilising a 4+4 (4 Performance Core + 4 Efficiency Core) CPU structure and a stronger Adreno 650 GPU in the processor, the Snapdragon 865 series is well-equipped for smooth and fast operations on your smartphone daily. Alongside its powerful performance, is its much lower operating temperature than the Snapdragon 888 and 8 Gen 1, due to it being manufactured on TSMC’s 7nm node which brought better power efficiency and better battery life on smartphones using the chipset.

(Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G with Snapdragon 865. (Source: Samsung)

However, in 2023, the 2020 Snapdragon 865 is starting to show its age when compared to MediaTek’s newer solutions like the Dimensity 8000 and 9000 series of 5G smartphone processors. Yet, after 3 years, the fact this processor is still very competitive in the market with its high performance and long smartphone battery life, shows the value offered by this processor, and its performance is expected to still be smooth until the year 2025.

Tier A: Excellent Rating

Saving the best for last is Tier A, the excellent tier with the best Snapdragon processors you can buy in 2023. There are 3 of them and they are listed in table 4 below.

Snapdragon ChipHigh Performance CPU CoresEfficiency CPU CoresGPUNode ProcessAntutu Score
Snapdragon 7+ Gen 21x ARM Cortex X2, 3x Cortex A7104x ARM Cortex A510Adreno 725TSMC 4nm1,109,000
Snapdragon 8+ Gen 11x ARM Cortex X2, 3x Cortex A7104x ARM Cortex A510Adreno 730TSMC 4nm1,266,919
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy1x ARM Cortex X3, 2x Cortex A715, 2x Cortex A7103x ARM Cortex A510Adreno 740TSMC 4nm1,493,565
Table 4: Snapdragon Processors in Tier A (Source: Leo Wong De Quan / Gizmochina)

Leveraging on TSMC’s industry-leading 4nm manufacturing process, these Tier A Snapdragon processors are some of the best processors you can get in an Android smartphone in 2023 for the best balance of power efficiency and high performance. And with their performance leagues in front of the Tier B, C, D processors. Smartphones utilising Tier A processors are expected to have fast and smooth performance until 2028 or even longer.

Oppo Find X6 Pro with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. (Source: Gizmochina)

Smartphones that utilise Tier A processors include the Redmi Note 12 Turbo (also known as the Poco F5), the Samsung Galaxy S23 series, the Xiaomi 13 series and the Oppo Find X6 Pro.

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