Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8s Gen 4: What's the Deal?
Okay, so Qualcomm's chip naming conventions were already a bit of a mess, right? But then they announced the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, and things got even weirder. It was initially rumored as the Snapdragon 8s Elite, but then, thanks to leaker Digital Chat Station, we learned it's dropping the "Elite" part. Honestly, who saw that coming?
So, what gives? What's the story with this new chip?
Under the Hood: A Closer Look at the 8s Gen 4
It's built using TSMC's 4nm process, which is pretty standard these days. The core setup is a bit interesting: you've got one super-fast 3.21GHz Cortex-X4 prime core, then three 3.01GHz Cortex-A720 performance cores, followed by two more 2.8GHz Cortex-A720 cores, and finally, two energy-sipping 2.02GHz Cortex-A720 cores. It's all about balancing power and efficiency, I guess.
The graphics are handled by an Adreno 825 GPU – a slightly toned-down version of the Adreno 830 you’d find in the (now seemingly mythical) Snapdragon 8 Elite. Interestingly, the image signal processor (ISP) seems to be the same as the Elite’s, though. Go figure!
Why the Name Change? It's All About the Architecture
The big difference between this chip and the rumored 8 Elite? Architecture. The 8s Gen 4 uses standard ARM cores, while the 8 Elite (if it even exists) was supposedly going to use Qualcomm's own proprietary Oryon CPU cores. That architectural shift appears to be the reason behind the name change. It’s like they decided to go with a simpler, safer route at the last minute.
What Does This Mean for Us? Expect Some New Phones Soon!
This whole situation only adds to the existing confusion surrounding Qualcomm's naming scheme. It's a bit of a head-scratcher, to be honest. But the good news is, we should start seeing phones with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 as early as April 2025. The Redmi Turbo 4 Pro and iQOO Z10 Turbo Pro are rumored to be early adopters.
Overall, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 seems like it'll offer solid performance. But the whole naming debacle is definitely leaving some questions unanswered. Will this confusing naming convention stick? Only time will tell.
We'll keep an eye out for any updates and let you know what we find. Stay tuned!
