Qualcomm, the leading manufacturer of smartphone processors, has been working on a new Snapdragon 7 Plus chipset that could revolutionize the mid-range segment. The new processor, which is expected to be the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3, is rumored to have a massive upgrade in terms of architecture and performance.
This is according to a post on the Chinese social media platform Weibo by the well-known tipster Digital Chat Station (via Android Authority), who claims that the upcoming Snapdragon 7 Plus processor will adopt the same architecture as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the most powerful and advanced Snapdragon processor to date. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is the flagship processor of 2024, powering high-end devices such as the OnePlus 12 and the Galaxy S24 series.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 features an octa-core CPU configuration with a formidable Cortex-X4 big core, five Cortex-A720 medium cores, and two Cortex-A520 little cores. These cores are based on the ARMv9 architecture, which offers improved performance, security, and efficiency. The tipster suggests that the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 could also have the same CPU cores, which would make it a formidable competitor in the mid-range segment.
To understand what the cores do, think of your smartphone’s CPU as a group of workers, each with different roles and responsibilities. The big core, like a manager, takes care of the most intensive tasks, such as running graphics-heavy games or sophisticated apps.
The medium cores, like skilled workers, handle the regular tasks, such as browsing the web or sending messages. And the little cores, like trainees, deal with the background tasks, such as delivering notifications or managing app processes.
By using a mix of big, medium, and little cores, SoCs can achieve a balance of performance and efficiency. This enables them to handle a variety of tasks without draining the battery life.
We expect that the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 will have a wider adoption than its predecessor, the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2, which was launched last year and offered a significant performance boost to mid-range phones. However, the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 was only available on a few devices from Xiaomi and Realme, such as the Redmi Note 13 Pro and the Poco F5, and none of them were released in the US.
The Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 has the potential to deliver substantial performance enhancements to mid-range smartphones, providing flagship-level capabilities at a more affordable price. This could have a major impact on the market, increasing the accessibility to high-performance devices for a larger consumer base.