A new leak from usually reliable tech tipster Digital Chat Station (DCS) suggests that the next generation of flagship processors from Qualcomm and MediaTek might come at a steeper price than expected.
The reason behind this is TSMC’s expensive N3E manufacturing process, which will be the core of both the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 (or 8 Elite, whatever it is called) from Qualcomm and Dimensity 9400 from MediaTek. The tipster mentions a roughly 20% jump in the price compared to previous generations.
Here’s how much Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 and Dimensity 9400 might cost
With this increase, the Dimensity 9400 is expected to cost around $155, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is projected to be about $190. Although chip manufacturers typically do not disclose their prices, a 20% increase implies that last year’s flagship Dimensity 9300 should cost $124, and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 should be priced at $152.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about the rising cost of upcoming chips. In June, industry analyst Min-Chu Kuo predicted an even steeper increase, suggesting a 25-30% hike—higher than what Digital Chat Station claims.
Similarly, tipster Ice Universe suggested a 20.68% price increase for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 which aligns more closely with DCS’s claims. Regardless of the exact amount, multiple reports confirm that both flagship SoCs are seeing a price hike this year.
And if manufacturers are indeed paying more for these core components, they will likely pass those costs on to consumers. As a result, expect more expensive flagships from brands this year and in 2025.
As for whether the increased cost is justified, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is expected to have some big changes this year. The new SoC will be the first mobile chip from Qualcomm to feature in-house Oryon cores and early benchmarks show a notable performance boost.
Meanwhile, MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 will use ARM’s most powerful Cortex-X925 core. The SoC posted the highest AnTuTu benchmark score ever for an Android phone, recently.
(Source)
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