The flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset with eight cores was announced by Qualcomm in October 2023, and the more affordable Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 with the same number of cores but with a different configuration was announced in November 2023.
Predictably, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 delivers significantly higher performance and is designed for high-end premium devices, whereas the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is designed for mid-range smartphones.
Both processors are manufactured using a 4nm process technology in the factories of Taiwanese contract semiconductor manufacturer TSMC.
But how significant is the performance gap between these two chips? Let’s analyze the test results and the main differences.
Table of contents
SD 8 Gen 3 vs SD 7 Gen 3: Specifications
| Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 | ||
| The premiere | October 2023 | November 2023 |
| Technical process | 4 nm | 4 nm |
| Manufacturer | TSMC | TSMC |
| Cores | 8 | 8 |
| CPU | 1 x Cortex-X3 @ 3.3GHz 3 x Cortex-A720 @ 3.15GHz 2 x Cortex-A720 @ 2.96GHz 2 x Cortex-A520 @ 2.27GHz |
1 x Cortex-A715 @ 2.63GHz 3 x Cortex-A715 @ 2.4GHz 4 x Cortex-A510 @ 1.8GHz |
| GPU | Adreno 750 | Adreno 720 |
| ai | 6-core NPU | 6-core NPU |
| Camera | 18-bit ISP, cameras up to 200 MP, video recording up to 8K | 12-bit ISP, cameras up to 200 MP, video recording up to 4K |
| RAM | LPDDR5X (4800 MHz) | LPDDR5 (3200 MHz) |
| ROM | UFS 4.0 | UFS 2.2, UFS 3.1 |
| Connections | Snapdragon X75 5G Modem, up to 10 Gbps, FastConnect 7800 with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 | Snapdragon X63 5G Modem, up to 5 Gbps, FastConnect 6700 with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 |
SD 8 Gen 3 vs SD 7 Gen 3: AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu is a widely used benchmarking tool that allows you to measure the overall performance of a device. It conducts a series of tests to evaluate computing power, graphics rendering, multitasking efficiency, and overall system responsiveness.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 devices score more than twice as many points in AnTuTu 10 as Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 devices, thanks to significantly more powerful computing cores and a graphics controller.
SD 8 Gen 3 vs SD 7 Gen 3: Geekbench 6
The Geekbench test suite measures CPU performance by providing single-core and multi-core scores. A single-core score reflects performance when one core is active, whereas a multi-core score measures total computing power.
In Geekbench 6, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 delivers 84% better single-core performance and 104% better multi-core performance compared to the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3.
Conclusion
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is the clear winner, offering significantly better performance, gaming capabilities, and connectivity. However, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is still a reliable choice for mid-range devices, delivering decent performance and efficiency.
If you need flagship-level performance with advanced features, then the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is for you. But if you’re looking for a low-cost, mid-range option, then the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is a decent option.