Several months after Qualcomm launched the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the tech giant introduced the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. This new SoC is designed as a more budget-friendly version of Qualcomm’s flagship chipset, offering phone manufacturers the chance to produce high-end devices at lower costs without sacrificing premium features. Building on this strategy, Qualcomm is reportedly set to unveil the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 in the first quarter of 2025, providing a cost-effective alternative in a market where the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is expected to be a pricey component.
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 is crucial because the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, anticipated to be significantly more expensive, might not fit into many brands’ pricing strategies. Industry insider Yogesh Brar highlighted this on social media, indicating that while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4’s model number is SM8750 and scheduled for release in Q4 2024, the more affordable Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, tagged SM8735, is planned for Q1 2025. As of now, there’s no confirmation regarding the SM8775, which is speculated to be the model number for a potential Snapdragon 8+ Gen 4 variant.
The concept of an overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 seems redundant, especially given that Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra has shown remarkable performance on Geekbench 6, with the chipset’s performance cores achieving an impressive 4.47GHz. Instead, the real need lies in Qualcomm’s partners being able to offer more budget-friendly smartphones, a goal that the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 is well-positioned to meet, unlike its more expensive counterpart.
A tipster has suggested that the unit price for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 could be around $240, which is 20 percent higher than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Given these figures, it is nearly impossible for brands to launch competitively priced smartphones in the $500-$600 range without significant compromises. However, if the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 can match the performance levels of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, it sets the stage for a win-win scenario for many stakeholders, enabling the release of more price-to-performance balanced handsets.
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