The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 was announced in November 2023 as a mid-range chipset with a high-performance CPU and GPU. It’s a popular chip that is already powering many smartphones from different brands, such as Vivo, OnePlus, Motorola, Honor, and more.
The Snapdragon 870, on the other hand, is a relatively older chip, announced back in January 2021. It was a high-end chip then, but thanks to chip advancements over the years, modern mid-range chips perform better than older flagships. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 also puts a tough show against the Snapdragon 870. Let’s look at the benchmark and key differences to find out how they stack up against each other.
Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 vs Snapdragon 870: Benchmark comparison
Note: The tests were conducted on the OnePlus Nord CE 4 (powered by Snapdragon 7 Gen 3) and Poco F4 (powered by Snapdragon 870).
AnTuTu comparison
| SD 7 Gen 3 | SD 870 | |
|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu score | 819,655 | 796,504 |
| CPU | 269,334 | 241,986 |
| GPU | 256,584 | 219,756 |
| Memory | 129,961 | 144,545 |
| UX | 163,776 | 190,218 |
The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 edges out the Snapdragon 870 in overall AnTuTu performance, scoring 819,655 vs. 796,504. It delivers better CPU (269,334 vs. 241,986) and GPU (256,584 vs. 219,756) scores, making it slightly more capable for gaming and heavy tasks.
That said, the Snapdragon 870 pulls ahead in memory and UX performance, which could mean smoother day-to-day usage in some areas. Overall, the 7 Gen 3 offers a modest performance boost, especially in raw processing and graphics power.
Geekbench comparison
| SD 7 Gen 3 | SD 870 | |
| Single core | 1,154 | 1,274 |
| Multi core | 3,018 | 3,386 |
In Geekbench tests, the Snapdragon 870 maintains a lead over the 7 Gen 3, scoring 1,274 in single-core and 3,386 in multi-core tests. In comparison, the 7 Gen 3 achieves 1,154 (single-core) and 3,018 (multi-core).
While the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is more efficient and newer, the Snapdragon 870 still delivers strong raw CPU performance, especially in multitasking scenarios.
Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 vs Snapdragon 870: Key differences that matter!
CPU
The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 uses newer ARM Cortex-A715 and Cortex-A510 cores, which are more efficient and offer better performance per watt compared to the older Cortex-A77 and Cortex-A55 cores in the Snapdragon 870. Its peak clock speed is 2.63GHz, slightly lower than the Snapdragon 870’s 3.2GHz.
The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 also benefits from the newer ARMv8.6-A instruction set (vs. ARMv8.2-A), which improves efficiency. Additionally, the 7 Gen 3 is built using more advanced TSMC’s 4nm node (vs. 7nm), offering improved efficiency and thermal performance.
GPU
The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 has an Adreno 720 GPU built on a newer architecture than the Adreno 650 on the Snapdragon 870. Additionally, the Adreno 720 runs at a higher frequency of 975MHz (vs 670MHz). However, the Adreno 650 GPU brings more total shaders, pipelines, and FLOPS, which might edge out the other GPU in some games.
Camera
The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 features 12-bit triple ISPs, whereas the Snapdragon 870 has 14-bit dual ISPs. Theoretically, the Snapdragon 870’s 14-bit ISP can capture and process with finer tonal details than the 7 Gen 3’s 12-bit ISP, but the difference is very subtle to notice. The dual ISPs and triple ISPs mean that the chip enables simultaneous processing from two or three cameras, respectively.
Both Qualcomm chips support a maximum of 200MP single camera sensor. With zero shutter lag, the maximum resolution is supported up to 64MP. Being a newer chip, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 comes with more camera features, such as Real-time object classification and low-light photography architecture. It also brings additional video formats such as Adaptive HDR10 and H.265 (High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC)).
Connectivity
The two chips also have many differences in terms of connectivity. For instance, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 has a newer X65 modem with a peak download speed of 5GHz. On the other hand, the Snapdragon 870 features an older X55 modem but with a higher peak download speed of 7.5Gbps.
The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, however, has a higher peak speed over a Wi-Fi connection (2.9Gbps vs. 1.774Gbps). It also brings Wi-Fi 6E support, which is lacking on the other chip.
Both chips also offer a bundle of connectivity improvement features, such as Qualcomm Wideband Envelope Tracking, Qualcomm Smart Transmit technology, Qualcomm 5G PowerSave, and Qualcomm Signal Boost adaptive antenna tuning. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, being a newer chip, offers an upgraded version of these features.
Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 vs Snapdragon 870: Conclusion
The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 and Snapdragon 870 trade blows in different areas, but it’s clear that Qualcomm’s newer mid-range chip holds its own against the older flagship.
The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 delivers better overall AnTuTu performance, improved CPU and GPU efficiency, newer camera capabilities, and faster connectivity options like Wi-Fi 6E. It’s built on a much smaller 4nm process, which helps with thermal efficiency and battery life.
However, the Snapdragon 870 still puts up a strong fight in raw CPU performance, especially in Geekbench scores, and offers slightly better memory and UX performance in AnTuTu, which could translate to smoother daily usage in some cases.
If you’re choosing between phones powered by these chips, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is clearly the more future-ready and balanced option, while the Snapdragon 870 remains a solid performer with proven power — even years after its release.
| SD 7 Gen 3 | SD 870 | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | November 2023 | January 2021 |
| Manufacturing | 4nm (TSMC) | 7nm (TSMC) |
| CPU | 1 x 2.63GHz — Cortex-A715 3 x 2.4GHz — Cortex-A715 4 x 1.8GHz — Cortex-A510 | 1 x 3.2GHz — Cortex-A77 3 x 2.42GHz — Cortex-A77 4 x 1.8GHz — Cortex-A55 |
| GPU | Adreno 720 | Adreno 650 |
| NPU | Hexagon NPU | Hexagon 698 |
| Memory | LPDDR5, up to 3.2GHz | LPDDR5, up to 2.75GHz |
| Camera | Spectra triple ISP (12-bit) Up to 200MP single camera Up to 4K video recording | Spectra dual ISP (14-bit) Up to 200MP single camera Up to 8K video recording |
| Connectivity | Snapdragon X63 5G modem Downlink: 5Gbps Qualcomm FastConnect 6700 Wi-Fi 6E (peak speed: 2.9Gbps) Bluetooth 5.4 | Snapdragon X55 5G modem Downlink: 7.5Gbps Qualcomm FastConnect 6800 Wi-Fi 6 (peak speed: 1.774Gbps) Bluetooth 5.2 |
Popular Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 phones:
Popular Snapdragon 870 phones:
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