The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is a high-end flagship chipset known for its outstanding performance and efficiency. Announced in October 2023, it features an octa-core CPU with a maximum clock speed of 3.3GHz and an Adreno 750 GPU, making it a powerhouse for gaming and graphics-intensive applications.
On the other hand, the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 is a mid-range chipset announced in March 2024. While it also has eight CPU cores, it runs at lower speeds than the 8 Gen 3, although the choice of CPU cores remains the same. It has Adreno 732 GPU to handle gaming and graphical tasks.
While it’s clear that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is more powerful, the real question is— how big is the performance gap? To answer this, we ran several benchmark tests and analyzed their key differences.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 vs 7+ Gen 3: Benchmark comparison
[Note: The tests were conducted on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra (powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 3) and Realme GT 6T (powered by Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3).]
AnTuTu benchmark
AnTuTu evaluates a device’s overall performance by running a series of tests across multiple components, including CPU, GPU, memory, and UX (user experience). The overall score represents the combined strength of these individual tests.
Here’s how both chipsets performed:
| SD 8 Gen 3 | SD 7+ Gen 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu score | 1,937,417 | 1,448,293 |
| CPU | 419,604 | 376,122 |
| GPU | 829,698 | 488,799 |
| Memory | 382,043 | 334,990 |
| UX | 306,072 | 248,382 |
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 outperforms the 7+ Gen 3 by a significant margin, particularly in GPU performance, where it achieves a 67% higher score. The CPU performance is also 12% better on the flagship chipset.
Geekbench benchmark
Geekbench measures how well a processor handles various workloads by performing real-world and synthetic tests, such as image processing, machine learning, and file compression.
Here’s how the the two chips performed:
| SD 8 Gen 3 | SD 7+ Gen 3 | |
| Single core | 2,185 | 1,834 |
| Multi core | 6,735 | 4,498 |
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 leads by 19% in single-core performance and 50% in multi-core performance, highlighting its superior processing power.
3DMark Wild Life Stress Test
This test evaluates a device’s graphics performance and thermal stability under prolonged heavy workloads.
| SD 8 Gen 3 | SD 7+ Gen 3 | |
| Best loop score | 17,218 | 11,264 |
| Lowest loop score | 11,692 | 6,145 |
| Stability | 68.7% | 54.6% |
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 delivers not only higher performance but also better thermal stability compared to the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 vs 7+ Gen 3: Key differences
CPU
Both chipsets are built on TSMC’s 4nm process and feature the same type of core cores, but their configurations vary.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3:
- One large core (Cortex-X4 — 3.3GHz)
- Five mid cores (3 x Cortex-A720 — 3.15GHz, 2 x Cortex-A720 — 2.96GHz)
- Two small cores (2 x Cortex-A520 — 2.27GHz)
Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3:
- One large core (Cortex-X4 — 2.8GHz)
- Four mid cores (4 x Cortex-A720 — 2.6GHz)
- Three small cores (3 x Cortex-A520 — 1.9GHz)
The 8 Gen 3 not only runs at higher clock speeds but also includes an additional performance core for enhanced processing power.
GPU
Gaming is where the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 shines. It features the Adreno 750 GPU, which has more shading units and supports real-time hardware ray tracing with Global Illumination, making it suitable for demanding games and graphics-intensive applications.. It also fully supports the Unreal Engine 5.2 MetaHumans framework, enabling lifelike human characters.
The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3, with its Adreno 732 GPU, offers a balanced gaming experience for mid-range devices but lacks advanced ray tracing and high-end graphics capabilities.
Camera
Both chipsets feature an 18-bit triple ISP and support up to 200MP single camera resolution. However, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has advantages such as dual always-sensing cameras for faster face recognition and QR code scanning, and 8K video recording support, while the 7+ Gen 3 is limited to 4K.
Connectivity
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 offers faster network speeds, thanks to the newer Snapdragon X75 5G modem. It offers a peak download speed of 10Gbps, whereas the X63 modem on Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chip peaks at 5Gbps. The maximum upload speed, however, remains the same at 3.5Gbps.
Both Qualcomm chips have the same mobile connectivity system. That means they carry the same Wi-Fi capabilities. However, the Bluetooth version differ: 8 Gen 3 (Bluetooth 5.4) and 7+ Gen 3 (Bluetooth 5.3).
Overall, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is the clear winner in terms of performance, gaming, camera capabilities, and connectivity. However, the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 remains a strong contender for mid-range devices, offering a balanced experience at a lower cost.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 vs 7+ Gen 3: Spec sheet
| SD 8 Gen 3 | SD 7+ Gen 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | October 2023 | March 2024 |
| 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 2.8 GHz — Cortex-X4 4 x 2.6 GHz — Cortex-A720 3 x 1.9 GHz — Cortex-A520 |
| GPU | Adreno 750 GPU Support for Unreal Engine 5.2 Lumen Global illumination Ray tracing support Snapdragon Elite Gaming features | Adreno 732 GPU Snapdragon Elite Gaming features |
| NPU | Qualcomm Hexagon NPU | Qualcomm Hexagon NPU |
| Memory | LPDDR5x, up to 4.8GHz | LPDDR5, up to 4.2GHz |
| 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 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 4K/60fps 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 7800 Wi-Fi 7 (peak speed: 5.8Gbps) Bluetooth 5.3 |
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
Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 phones:
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