Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 leaks with significantly faster GPU, the CPU should also get a boost

Qualcomm has fallen into a pattern – launch a Snapdragon chip, then introduce a faster “+” variant and a cheaper “s” variant. There was the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 in late 2023, then the powerful 7+ Gen 3 came in March and, well, now there's an “s” model on the horizon. It's not official yet, maybe that will happen during Qualcomm's big event in October. For now, we have this leaked slide shared by Evan Blass.

Focusing on the details below, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 will have a 20% faster CPU, a 40% faster GPU, and a 30% faster NPU, while also offering a modest 12% improvement in power efficiency.

These numbers are presumably compared to the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2. That chip isn't particularly fast – it has four Cortex-A78 cores (2.4 GHz) and four A55 cores (1.95 GHz), as well as an Adreno 710 GPU (940 MHz). This hardware is also found in the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, although it runs at lower clock speeds.

The GPU of the 7s Gen 2 is comparable to, say, a Dimensity 7300 GPU (Mali-G615 MC2), so a 40% increase would make the 7s Gen 3 competitive with more powerful mid-range chips. It should be just behind the standard 7 Gen 3 (Adreno 720, 975 MHz). It's not clear what CPU and GPU hardware is used in the 7s Gen 3, though, so this is just a guess.

Generative AI and language translation/transcription are likely to be the main selling points for the new chip. AI is on trend and really benefits from fast GPUs and NPUs. And it will help the camera convert the raw Bayer data into a color image using AI remosaic.

This chipset will likely also be found in cheaper gaming phones thanks to AFME or “Adreno Frame Motion Engine”. This generates additional frames without putting additional strain on the GPU. For example, it converts 60fps to 120fps. There is also VRS Pro (Variable Rate Shading).

Connectivity is also improved, but we don't have all the details yet. Bluetooth 5.4 is definitely new (7s Gen 2 only has v5.2). Spatial Audio also seems to be a new addition.

The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 has been featured in several popular phones and we've tested most of them. Some were inexpensive and the chipset's performance was described as “adequate.” However, other phones were too expensive for the performance the chip offers. Judging by the official performance numbers, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 will likely perform better in future tests.

source