The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 is the newest member of the “Snapdragon 8 family”, promising flagship-grade performance at a not-so-flagship price. These “s” versions of Qualcomm chips have been popular for offering the best bang for the buck, but their positioning is often debatable. Take the 8s Gen 4, for instance: it doesn’t sit between the 8 Gen 3 and 8 Elite as its performance is on par with the 8 Gen 3.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, on the other hand, is a flagship chip from 2022 with excellent CPU and GPU performance. It’s clear that this chip won’t match the 8s Gen 4’s performance, but we’re more interested in looking at the performance gap.
We’ll examine benchmark scores and crucial differences to better understand how these two Qualcomm processors stack up against each other.
Let’s begin with a spec sheet:
| Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | April 2025 | November 2022 |
| Manufacturing | 4nm (TSMC) | 4nm (TSMC) |
| CPU | 1 x Cortex-X3 @ 3.21 GHz 3 x Cortex-A720 @ 3 GHz 2 x Cortex-A720 @ 2.8 GHz 2 x Cortex-A720 @ 2.02 GHz | 1 x Cortex-X3 @ 3.2GHz 2 x Cortex-A715 @ 2.8GHz 2 x Cortex-A710 @ 2.8GHz 3 x Cortex-A510 @ 2GHz |
| GPU | Adreno 825 GPU Ray tracing support Snapdragon Elite Gaming features | Adreno 740 GPU Ray tracing support Snapdragon Elite Gaming features |
| NPU | Qualcomm Hexagon NPU | Qualcomm Hexagon NPU |
| Storage/Memory | UFS 4.0 LPDDR5x, up to 4.8GHz | UFS 4.0 LPDDR5x, up to 4.2GHz |
| Camera | Spectra triple AI ISP (18-bit ) Up to 320MP single camera Up to 108MP single camera with ZSL Up to 36+36+36MP triple cameras with ZSL Real-time semantic segmentation (up to 250 layers) Up to 4K/60fps video recording | Spectra triple ISP (18-bit) Up to 200MP single camera Up to 108MP single camera with ZSL Real-time semantic segmentation Up to 8K/30fps video recording |
| Connectivity | Snapdragon 5G modem Download: 4.2Gbps (maximum) Wi-Fi 7 (peak speed: 5.8Gbps) Bluetooth 6.0 | Snapdragon X70 5G modem Download: 10Gbps (maximum) Wi-Fi 7 (peak speed: 5.8Gbps) Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Display | On-device: WQHD+ @ 144Hz, QHD+ @ 144Hz External: 4K UHD @ 60Hz 10-bit color depth Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, HDR Vivid | On-device: 4K Ultra HD @ 60Hz, QHD+ @ 144Hz External: 4K @ 60Hz 10-bit color depth HDR10, HDR10+, HDR Vivid |
| Charging | Qualcomm Quick Charge 5 | Qualcomm Quick Charge 5 |
Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 vs 8 Gen 2: Benchmark showdown
AnTuTu comparison
| SD 8s Gen 4 | SD 8 Gen 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu score | 2,050,881 | 1,609,763 |
| CPU | 460,339 | 387,038 |
| GPU | 852,942 | 612,954 |
| Memory | 410,236 | 306,124 |
| UX | 327,364 | 303,647 |
In the AnTuTu benchmark, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 takes an impressive 27% lead over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The newer chip pulls ahead across every category — its CPU score is up by 18%, GPU performance sees a massive 39% jump, and memory performance is 34% better. Even the UX score gets a modest boost, indicating smoother real-world performance. This shows that the 8s Gen 4 is not just a minor upgrade but a significant one over the 8 Gen 2.
Geekbench comparison
| SD 8s Gen 4 | SD 8 Gen 2 | |
| Single core | 2,041 | 2,012 |
| Multi core | 6,833 | 5,461 |
On the Geekbench 6 platform, both Snapdragon chips are neck-and-neck in single-core performance, but the gap widens significantly when multiple cores are at play, with the 8s Gen 4 achieving over 25% higher scores. This gives the newer chip a noticeable edge in multitasking and heavy workloads.
Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 vs 8 Gen 2: Don’t miss these differences!
Besides the performance gap, there are several important differences you should be aware of, including maximum download speed, camera features, ray tracing support, and more. We’ll talk about that below.
Performance breakdown
CPU
The 8s Gen 4 features a more advanced ARMv9.2-A processor architecture than the 8 Gen 2’s ARMv9-A, offering enhancements to performance, security, and AI. The newer chip also features a powerful CPU architecture, comprising one Cortex-X4 core and seven Cortex-A720 cores. On the other hand, the 8 Gen 2 has one Cortex-X3, four Cortex-A715, and three Cortex-A510 cores.
GPU
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 has a more capable Adreno 825 GPU (versus 8 Gen 2’s Adreno 740), offering higher frequency and FLOPS. The benchmark scores also reflect the same. Both chips, however, have ray tracing support and come with a full suite of Snapdragon Elite Gaming features for an enhanced gaming experience.
AI
The 8s Gen 4 features a Qualcomm AI Engine, which includes a faster Hexagon NPU and 2x shared memory with improved bandwidth. The performance is up by 44% over its predecessor. The AI Engine supports a variety of LLMs and LVMs with on-device processing.
The 8 Gen 2 also features a Qualcomm AI Engine, which offers up to 4.35x faster AI performance compared to its predecessor. Both chips utilize AI for image, video, and connectivity enhancements.
Camera & imaging
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 features a triple 18-bit AI ISP, supporting up to 320MP camera resolution. With MFNR (Multi-Frame Noise Reduction) and ZSL (Zero Shutter Lag), the maximum supported resolutions are 108MP (single camera) and 36MP (triple camera). Additionally, it supports real-time semantic segmentation for photos and videos with up to 250 layers.
On the other hand, the 8 Gen 2 has a triple Cognitive ISP with up to 200MP camera support. With MFNR and ZSL, the ISP supports up to 108MP single camera. The chip also supports real-time semantic segmentation.
Both chips have a range of photo and video capture features. One key difference between them is that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 supports up to 8K video recording, while the 8s Gen 4 does up to 4K.
Connectivity
Both Qualcomm chips have integrated 5G modems, but they have different peak speeds. For instance, the 8s Gen 4 lets you download stuff at up to 4.2Gbps, whereas the 8 Gen 2 peaks at 10Gbps. However, they have the same peak speed of 5.8Gbps over a Wi-Fi 7 connection.
Additionally, the 8s Gen 4 supports newer Bluetooth 6.0 standard (vs. 5.4 on the 8 Gen 2) for improved latency, security, and faster, more efficient device connections.
Display & storage
The 8s Gen 4 supports up to WQHD+ (also called “2K”) screen resolution with 144Hz refresh rate support. For external display, the maximum supported resolution is 4K Ultra HD at a 60Hz refresh rate.
For 8 Gen 2, the maximum on-device screen resolution is 4K Ultra HD with a 60Hz refresh rate. For external display, 4K is the maximum supported resolution. Both Qualcomm chipsets support multiple HDR options, but the 8s Gen 4 also has Dolby Vision support.
Regarding storage, both chips support UFS 4.0 high-speed memory. They also support LPDDR5x RAM, but that on the 8s Gen 4 runs at a slightly higher speed.
Phone availability & price segments
There are plenty of smartphone options for Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 from multiple brands, including OnePlus, Samsung, Xiaomi, and Vivo. However, only a few for 8s Gen 4, including Xiaomi Civi 5 Pro and Redmi Turbo 4 Pro. That’s because it’s a new chip. Brands will take time to release phones powered by this Snapdragon chip.
Best Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 phones:
Best Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phones:
Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 vs 8 Gen 2: Conclusion
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 is more than just an “affordable flagship” chip — it’s a serious performance upgrade over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It has a more capable CPU and GPU that can smoothly handle multitasking and demanding games. There are AI upgrades as well.
The 8 Gen 2 still holds its ground with 8K video recording and higher 5G peak speeds. While it doesn’t match the 8s Gen 4’s performance, it still delivers a smooth experience while gaming or multitasking.
If performance is your top priority, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 should be your pick over the 8 Gen 2. But if you’re getting a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 device at a steep discount, that won’t be a bad choice either.
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