7 reasons why I want more brands to use Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 chip

The Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 is built on the TSMC 4nm process, just like Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or Gen 3. Its CPU configuration—with a high-performance Cortex-X4 core clocked at 2.8GHz, four Cortex-A720 cores, and three Cortex-A520 cores for efficiency—delivers power that’s surprisingly close to what flagship chips offer.

For instance, here’s a benchmark comparison of the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 against 8 Gen 2. 

As you can see, both the chips are close in terms of benchmark scores. This means users can expect seamless multitasking and gaming performance with the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3.

Phones powered by this chip can handle heavy apps, casual editing, and even future-proof tasks without breaking a sweat. Simply put, it’s overkill for day-to-day usage but finally gives mid-range phones the horsepower they’ve been missing.

Mobile gaming has become a huge part of how people use their phones, but not everyone needs the extreme gaming capabilities found in flagship processors. The Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 offers a perfect balance with its Adreno 732 GPU. 

It supports features like Super Resolution and the Game Post Processing Accelerator to ensure users get good graphics quality and smooth frame rates. And while it doesn’t have hardware-accelerated ray tracing like current flagship SoCs, that’s hardly a dealbreaker for casual gamers. 

The cherry on top is that the SoC is compatible with the LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 memory standards—features typically reserved for flagship phones. This means faster load times, smoother multitasking, and improved responsiveness, which not only enhances gaming but also ensures a seamless experience for everyday tasks.

2024 has been the year of AI, and the trend shows no signs of slowing down. The good news is that AI features are no longer exclusive to flagship phones.

Mid-range and even budget phones are also benefiting from this trend, and their performance would be even better if the SoC natively supported AI-driven tasks. Thankfully, the Hexagon NPU in the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 is up to the task.

Not only is it powerful enough to handle cloud-based AI features, but it is also capable of running on-device generative AI tasks, such as image generation.

The Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 comes with triple 18-bit ISPs and support for up to 200MP sensor. Not to forget, it also supports features like Cognitive ISP, Bokeh Engine 2.0, and Google Ultra HDR that can deliver professional-grade photos and videos.

For brands, this is an opportunity to bring flagship-level camera capabilities to a wider audience. Better hardware combined with advanced computational photography could redefine what’s expected of cameras in mid-range devices.

The Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 is equipped with the Snapdragon X63 modem, offering 5G connectivity with download speeds up to 4.2Gbps. It also supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, which means phones using this chip will remain compatible with future wireless standards for years to come.

One of the challenges of mid-range devices is balancing performance with battery life. Thanks to the TSMC 4nm process, the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 is both powerful and energy-efficient. This ensures that phones with this chip can deliver solid all-day battery life, even under heavy usage.

There’s a growing trend of “budget flagship” devices—phones that offer flagship-level performance but with a few compromises to keep costs low. The Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 is tailor-made for this segment.

Its performance is close enough to the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that most users wouldn’t notice the difference in everyday tasks. By using this chip, brands can deliver phones that feel premium while keeping prices competitive.

Given all the benefits this chip offers, it’s surprising that only a handful of devices currently feature it. One reason could be cost—despite being a mid-range chip, the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 likely comes at a premium compared to older mid-range SoCs. Additionally, brands might be hesitant to market a mid-range device that feels too close to their flagship offerings, fearing it could cannibalize sales.

But for consumers, the advantages far outweigh any potential downsides. With the 7 Plus Gen 3, brands can deliver a premium experience at a lower price, attracting budget-conscious buyers without compromising on quality.

The Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 has all the ingredients to deliver a premium experience in mid-range smartphones, yet its limited adoption has held it back from reaching its full potential. 

I hope to see more brands take advantage of what the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 has to offer. Phones powered by this chip wouldn’t just bridge the gap between mid-range and flagship devices—they could redefine it. And as consumers, we’d all benefit from a more competitive and capable smartphone market.

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