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The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 could be a great chip for budget phones
- Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor.
- This seems like a step below the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset in some ways.
- The Redmi Note 13 Pro will be the first phone with this processor.
Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 7 series of chipsets power a decent variety of mid-range smartphones. We’ve already seen the beastly Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 launched earlier this year, but we’ve now got a more modest chipset in the newly announced Snapdragon 7s Gen 2.
The name suggests that this could be a sequel of sorts to the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, but a closer look at the spec sheet reveals that this chip is less capable in some ways. For example, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 offers peak downlink speeds of up to 2.9Gbps versus the Gen 1’s 4.4Gbps. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 also enjoys superior camera capabilities (e.g. better slow-motion video and higher-resolution camera support).
| Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 | Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 | Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
CPU | Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 4x performance cores 4x efficiency cores | Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 4x Cortex-A710 4x Cortex-A510 | Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 1x Cortex-X2 3x Cortex-A710 4x Cortex-A510 |
GPU | Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 Adreno | Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 Adreno 662 | Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 Adreno |
DSP | Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 Hexagon | Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 Hexagon | Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 Hexagon |
Modem | Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 Snapdragon X62 5G/LTE 5G - 2.9Gbps down | Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 Snapdragon X62 5G/LTE 5G - 4.4Gbps down, 1.6Gbps up | Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 Snapdragon X62 5G/LTE 5G - 4.4Gbps down, 1.6Gbps up |
Cameras | Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 48MP single 32MP+16MP dual 16MP+16MP+16MP triple 200MP snapshot | Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 64MP single 64MP+20MP dual 25MP+25MP+25MP triple 200MP snapshot | Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 108MP single 64MP+36MP dual 32MP+32MP+32MP triple 200MP snapshot |
Quick Charge | Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 4+ | Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 4+ | Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 5 |
Bluetooth | Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 5.2 | Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 5.2 | Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 5.3 |
Process | Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 4nm | Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 4nm | Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 4nm |
As for the key specs, Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 is a 4nm chip powered by an octa-core CPU featuring four Cortex-A78 cores at 2.4GHz and four Cortex-A55 cores at 1.95GHz. We’re glad to see four big CPU cores here, though, as many mid-range SoCs still ship with only two big cores. We’ve also got an unspecified Adreno GPU on offer, with Qualcomm declining to reveal details when asked.
In terms of camera-related features, you’re getting 4K/30fps video, 4K HDR support, 120fps slow-motion at 1080p, and AI denoising functionality. Other notable features include support for a 144Hz refresh rate at FHD+ resolution, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6E, and Quick Charge 4+ charging.
The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 will power the Redmi Note 13 Pro, which launches in China later this month. We hope this processor lands in plenty of cheap phones, as it looks like a more budget-tier proposition than other Snapdragon 7 series chips.