Qualcomm has announced that they will integrate chips with their custom CPU cores following the acquisition of Nuvia. The forthcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will feature custom cores in a 2+6 CPU cluster configuration, comprising two performance cores and six energy-efficient cores. Rumors suggest that a design update for the chip, targeting a clock frequency of 4.26GHz, might be finalized in the coming month, aiming to rival Apple A18.
Redesign and Enhanced Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 could potentially see a performance boost, particularly in single-core tasks, with the speculated redesign set to be completed in June, focusing on achieving a 4.26GHz clock speed to compete with Apple's A18 chip.
Process Node Efficiency
Both Apple's M4 series and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 are anticipated to be manufactured using TSMC's second-generation 3nm process node. This technology has shown efficiency in sustaining high clock frequencies, evident in the latest Apple Silicon chips.
Power Efficiency and Features
Qualcomm's chipset, while utilizing the same 3nm process node, lacks support for ARMv9 instruction set and Scalable Matrix Extension (SME), which enhances chip performance in complex tasks. Managing power efficiency will be crucial for Qualcomm this time, as previous reports hinted at higher power consumption, potentially necessitating larger smartphone batteries.
Qualcomm is projected to reveal the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset at the upcoming Snapdragon Summit, expected to take place in October. The Xiaomi 15 series could possibly be among the first smartphones to feature the Oryon CPU-powered Android flagship.
Moreover, Qualcomm is actively developing two ARM-based chips featuring custom Oryon CPU cores for Windows PCs – the 12-core Snapdragon X Elite and the 10-core Snapdragon X Plus.
