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Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 leak indicates Qualcomm's naming confusion could continue
- First leaks of the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 indicate that Qualcomm’s next mid-range SoC could be positioned lower than the existing Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2.
- As per the leak, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is expected to be manufactured on TSMC’s 4nm process.
- It is said to come with one prime core, three performance cores, and four efficiency cores, clocked lower than the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2.
Android flagships are worth all our attention, but the mid-range is equally essential to the smartphone ecosystem. We usually see Qualcomm and MediaTek go neck-to-neck with SoC offerings that aim to provide a balanced experience to users on a lower-than-flagship budget. Qualcomm’s SoC lineup has the Snapdragon 7 series that tries to take care of this market segment, and the company could be on track to launch its newest SoC in the form of the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3.
Digital Chat Station has leaked the specifications of the upcoming Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, with the model number SM7550.
According to the leak, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is currently being tested. It is said to be manufactured on TSMC’s 4nm process. The SoC setup is said to comprise one prime core clocked at 2.63GHz, three performance cores clocked at 2.4GHz (and said to be Cortex-A715), and four efficiency cores clocked at 1.8GHz. It is also expected to come with the Adreno 720 GPU.
If this leak turns out to be true, then the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 will curiously slot between the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 and the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 rather than be a full upgrade over the 7 Plus Gen 2. Here’s how the lineup could look like after launch:
| Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 | Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 (as per leaks) | Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
CPU: Prime core | Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 - | Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 (as per leaks) 1x @ 2.63GHz | Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 1x Cortex-X2 @ 2.91GHz |
CPU: Performance cores | Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 4x Cortex-A78 @ 2.4GHz | Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 (as per leaks) 3x Cortex-A715 @ 2.4GHz | Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 3x Cortex-A710 @ 2.49GHz |
CPU: Efficiency cores | Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 4x Cortex-A55 @ 1.95GHz | Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 (as per leaks) 4x @ 1.8GHz | Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 4x Cortex-A510 @ 1.8GHz |
GPU | Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 Adreno | Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 (as per leaks) Adreno 720 | Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 Adreno 725 |
Manufacturing process | Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 4nm | Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 (as per leaks) TSMC 4nm | Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 TSMC 4nm |
Leaker Yogesh Brar is optimistic about the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, though. He mentions that the first phones with the SoC are expected to be from Xiaomi’s Redmi sub-brand, and it is expected to be released in Q1 of 2024. Whether the phone is launching globally or in the Chinese market is unknown.
The Snapdragon 7 series does not find as many takers as the Snapdragon 8 series, mainly due to its pricing. Qualcomm’s pricing makes MediaTek’s offerings look lucrative, especially for the mid-range, where consumers are open to settling on certain aspects of the phones. That is why we haven’t seen many options with the 7 series, as OEMs often either climb up the price ladder and get the Snapdragon 8 series for their phone or look at alternatives from MediaTek for a lower Bill of Materials.
It remains to be seen how Qualcomm positions the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 and how well consumers and OEMs receive it.