The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is a generation ahead of the 7 Gen 3, even though the latter is a relatively newer chip. The flagship 8 Gen 3, featuring eight cores (1x large core, 5x mid cores, & 2x small cores), was announced in October 2023. The 7 Gen 3, which has the same number of cores but a different configuration (4x mid cores & 4x small cores), was announced in November 2023.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 delivers significantly higher performance and is built for high-end premium devices, whereas the 7 Gen 3 is designed for mid-range smartphones. Both chips, however, are manufactured using TSMC’s 4nm process node. But how significant is the performance gap between these two chips? Let’s analyze benchmark results and key differences.
[Note: The following benchmark tests were conducted on the OnePlus 12 (powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 3) and OnePlus Nord CE 4 (powered by Snapdragon 7 Gen 3).]
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 vs 7 Gen 3: AnTuTu and Geekbench scores
AnTuTu score:
AnTuTu is a widely used benchmarking tool to measure the overall performance of a device. It runs a series of tests to evaluate processing power, graphics rendering, multitasking efficiency, and overall system responsiveness.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 scores more than twice as much as the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 on AnTuTu (v10), thanks to its significantly more powerful CPU and GPU. The GPU alone accounts for an impressive 190% boost in performance.
| SD 8 Gen 3 | SD 7 Gen 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu score | 1,753,326 | 819,655 |
| CPU | 370,873 | 269,334 |
| GPU | 750,494 | 256,584 |
| Memory | 350,215 | 129,961 |
| UX | 281,744 | 163,776 |
Geekbench score:
Geekbench measures CPU performance, providing single-core and multi-core scores. The single-core score reflects performance when a single CPU core is active, while the multi-core score measures overall processing power.
On Geekbench 6, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 delivers 84% better single-core performance and 104% better multi-core performance compared to the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3.
| SD 8 Gen 3 | SD 7 Gen 3 | |
| Single core | 2,130 | 1,154 |
| Multi core | 6,175 | 3,018 |
But why is there such a significant performance gap between the two chips? Let’s dive into the key differences.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 vs 7 Gen 3: Key Differences
CPU
While both chips have eight cores, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has a more powerful configuration and operates at higher clock speeds. Here’s how the CPU clusters look like:
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3:
- 1 Prime core: Cortex-X4 @ 3.3GHz
- 5 Performance cores: (3x Cortex-A720 @ 3.15GHz & 2x Cortex-A720 @ 2.96GHz)
- 2 Efficiency cores: Cortex-A520 @ 2.27GHz
Snapdragon 7 Gen 3:
- 4 Performance cores: (1x Cortex-A715 @ 2.63GHz & 3x Cortex-A715 @ 2.4GHz)
- 4 Efficiency cores: Cortex-A510 @ 1.8GHz
Not only does the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 have a higher peak CPU speed (3.3GHz vs. 2.63GHz), but its cores are also more performance-driven and power-efficient, which is evident in the benchmark scores.
GPU
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is equipped with the Adreno 750 GPU, designed for high-end gaming, while the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 features the Adreno 730 GPU.
The flagship 8 Gen 3 features significantly higher shading units and FLOPS, which means it can handle more demanding graphics and compute tasks, leading to faster and more detailed graphics.
The 8 Gen 3 supports real-time hardware-accelerated ray tracing with global illumination, leading to more accurate and realistic lighting effects, detailed shadows and reflections, and more realistic gameplay. It also supports Unreal Engine 5.2 for advanced character rendering. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 lacks these features, though it does support Snapdragon Game Super Resolution and Adreno Frame Motion Engine—albeit in older versions compared to the 8 Gen 3.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has excellent gaming performance, but that doesn’t make 7 Gen 3 a bad choice for gaming. It can still handle popular titles such as Genshin Impact and PUBG Mobile, but the experience will be far superior on 8 Gen 3 devices.
Connectivity
Both chips offer strong connectivity features, but the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has robust connectivity features and is more future-proof. For instance, it has a Snapdragon X75 modem with 10Gbps peak download speed and 3.5Gbps peak upload speed. While the upload speed remains the same, the peak download speed on 7 Gen 3 (X63 5G modem) reduces by half; up to 5Gbps.
In addition, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 supports Wi-Fi 7 via FastConnect 7800, offering speeds up to 5.8Gbps, while the 7 Gen 3 only supports Wi-Fi 6E with a peak speed of 2.9Gbps.
Camera
While both Qualcomm chips support up to 200MP single camera, the 8 Gen 3 supports noise reduction and zero shutter lag at higher resolutions for better low-light performance, reduced latency, and enhanced image quality. The 8 Gen 3 also has a higher bit depth, which means it’ll have superior color accuracy, dynamic range, and data capture speed than 7 Gen 3.
The 8 Gen 3 supports real-time semantic segmentation for photos and videos up to 12 layers. This results in more detailed and visually appealing photos and videos, while no such thing has been mentioned on the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3’s official page.
In terms of video recording, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 supports 8K video recording at 30fps, whereas the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 maxes out at 4K recording.
Memory
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 supports LPDDR5x RAM with up to 4.8GHz frequency, while that on the 7 Gen 3 is LPDDR5 at 3200MHz. The 8 Gen 3 also supports faster UFS 4.0 storage (vs. UFS 3.1 on the 7 Gen 3). The faster RAM and storage in the 8 Gen 3 lead to quicker app loading times and better multitasking performance.
Conclusion
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is a clear winner, offering significantly better performance, gaming capabilities, and connectivity. However, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is still a solid choice for mid-range devices, delivering respectable performance and efficiency.
If you want flagship-grade performance with cutting-edge features, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is the way to go. But if you’re looking for a cost-effective mid-range option, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 remains a capable performer.
| SD 8 Gen 3 | SD 7 Gen 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | October 2023 | November 2023 |
| Process node | 4nm | 4nm |
| Manufacturer | TSMC | TSMC |
| CPU | 1 x 3.3 GHz — Cortex-X3 3 x 3.15 GHz — Cortex-A720 2 x 2.96 GHz — Cortex-A720 2 x 2.27GHz — Cortex-A520 | 1 x 2.63 GHz — Cortex-A715 3 x 2.4 GHz — Cortex-A715 4 x 1.8 GHz — Cortex-A510 |
| GPU | Adreno 750 GPU Support for Unreal Engine 5.2 Lumen Global illumination Ray tracing support Snapdragon Elite Gaming features | Adreno 720 GPU Snapdragon Elite Gaming features |
| NPU | Qualcomm Hexagon NPU | Qualcomm Hexagon NPU |
| Memory | LPDDR5x, up to 4.8GHz | LPDDR5, up to 3.2GHz |
| Storage | UFS 4.0 | UFS 3.1 |
| USB | USB-C 3.1 Gen2 | USB-C 3.1 Gen2 |
| Camera | Qualcomm Spectra Cognitive Triple 18-bit ISP Real-time semantic segmentation (max 12 layers) Up to 200MP single camera Up to 108MP single camera at 30fps with zero shutter lag Up to 64MP+36MP dual camera at 30fps with zero shutter lag Up to 36MP triple camera at 30fps with zero shutter lag Up to 8K/30fps video recording | Qualcomm Spectra triple 12-bit ISPs Up to 200MP single camera Up to 64MP single camera with zero shutter lag Up to 32+21MP dual cameras with zero shutter lag Up to 21MP triple cameras with zero shutter lag Up to 4K video recording |
| Connectivity | Snapdragon X75 5G modem Downlink: 10Gbps Uplink: 3.5Gbps Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 Wi-Fi 7 (peak speed: 5.8Gbps) Bluetooth 5.4 | Snapdragon X63 5G modem Downlink: 5Gbps Uplink: 3.5Gbps Qualcomm FastConnect 6700 Wi-Fi 6E (peak speed: 2.9Gbps) Bluetooth 5.4 |
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 phones:
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (review)
- OnePlus 12 (review)
- Asus ROG Phone 8
- Galaxy Z Fold 6
- Galaxy Z Flip 6 (review)
- Xiaomi 14 Ultra (review)
- iQOO 12
- Honor Magic 6 Pro (review)
- Vivo X Fold 3 Pro
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