Qualcomm's next high-end mobile processor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, is set to bring a significant shift to its SoC lineup with the introduction of custom Oryon CPU cores.
Recently, a tip from Digital Chat Station hinted at a substantial performance enhancement that could challenge MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400. According to the tipster, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4’s high-performance core will clock in at an impressive 4.2GHz. Just three years ago, the Snapdragon 888+ was notable for hitting 3GHz, and now we’re looking at over 4GHz for a smartphone processor.
Benchmarks and Performance
The tipster also mentioned that a lab prototype of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 achieved remarkable benchmark scores, likely on Geekbench, with 3,000 points in single-core and 10,000 points in multi-core tests. This represents a 35.5% and 33.9% improvement in single-core and multi-core performance, respectively, compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
Below are the average Geekbench scores for recent smartphone SoCs:
| Processor | Single-Core | Multi-Core |
|---|---|---|
| Apple A17 Pro | 2999 | 7903 |
| Dimensity 9300 | 2264 | 7857 |
| Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | 2213 | 7466 |
| Apple A16 | 2671 | 7271 |
| Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | 2036 | 5697 |
| Dimensity 9200 | 1905 | 5119 |
Manufacturing and Pricing
In response to a user inquiry, the tipster confirmed that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will be produced using TSMC’s 3nm technology. This is expected to enhance both performance and efficiency. However, the upgrade will come at a higher cost. A recent report indicated that devices featuring the new SoC will be priced around 4,500 yuan.
To provide some context, the Xiaomi 14 debuted at a starting price of 3,999 yuan ($550), which suggests an approximate price increase of 500 yuan ($70) for models with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. Additionally, it’s speculated that the Xiaomi 15 will be the first smartphone to incorporate the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 SoC.
