Achim Maier
Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, its latest mid-range 7-series chipset for mobile devices. While the name might suggest that this is a successor to the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 or 7s Gen 2, the new chip actually sits between the two. The SD 7 Gen 3 is based on TSMC’s 4nm process technology and features a 1+3+4 CPU configuration. In addition to a 2.63 GHz main core, there are also three performance cores at 2.4 GHz and four efficiency cores at 1.8 GHz.
According to Qualcomm, the new CPU runs 15% faster and the new Adreno GPU even 50% faster than last year’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 1. According to Qualcomm tests, the new processor also runs 20% more efficiently in terms of power consumption. Of course, AI was also a topic during development. The Qualcomm Hexagon NPU is said to offer 60% higher AI performance per watt compared to the SD 7 Gen 1. The Adreno GPU supports OpenGL ES 3.2, OpenCL 2.0 FP and Vulkan 1.3 APIs.
The new Qualcomm chip also supports displays with a resolution of 4K at a refresh rate of 60 Hz. FHD+ resolution goes up to 168 Hz. The Qualcomm Spectra ISP (image processor) can handle up to 200 megapixel cameras and record 4K HDR videos at 60 Hz. The Snapdragon X63 5G Modem RF System achieves download speeds of up to 5Gbps over mmWave and sub-6GHz bands. The SD 7 Gen 3 also supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.
The first devices with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 are expected to hit the market later this month. According to rumors, Xiaomi, Honor and vivo are in the front row as manufacturers.
