After Qualcomm announced and detailed the brand-new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, it didn’t take long for Android OEMs to confirm that they will slap the latest and greatest CPU in their smartphones. Here’s what you need to know.
Designed to be the go-to flagship smartphone chip over the next 12 months, it should come as no surprise that a host of manufacturers have jumped at the chance to tell everyone that they’ll utilize the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in their hardware.
The new chip is built on a 4nm process with a different core configuration than its predecessor. This time you’ll find a “Prime” Arm Cortex X3 clocked at 3.2GHz with four “Performance” (2.8GHz) and three “Efficiency” cores (2GHz). It was previously three and four, respectively, with Qualcomm finding a boost for multi-thread executions with this approach. Another optimization sees two of the Performance cores support both 64- and 32-bit operations so that older apps can run efficiently.
Up to 16GB of LP-DDR5x 4200 MHz RAM is supported, with Qualcomm claiming that this Kyro CPU is up to 35% faster than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. An X70 5G modem is also included with Wi-Fi 7 also touted.
Quite a few vendors are trying to claim they will be the “first” to market with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 smartphone, but what matters more is just what devices we’ll see with it inside. Here’s the confirmed list so far:
Every device confirmed coming with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Vivo X90 series
After speculation, we finally have the “first” smartphone with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 unveiled. The Vivo X90 Pro Plus has been launched and packs the very latest chipset. Sadly, as with many nice things in the Android space, the device is set to be limited.
This China-only device has a sibling non-Pro handset that will ship with the MediaTek Dimensity 9200 processor, but the rest of the specifications are similar including a 120Hz AMOLED display, Zeiss-branded camera system, plus more. Vivo fans will be able to get hold of the X90 Pro Plus from December 6 priced at ¥6499 which is approximately $910 with the current exchange rate.
OnePlus 11 series
OnePlus is set to launch the 11 series with Qualcomm’s silicon once again. Over the past few years the Chinese firm has released a number of affordable smartphones with MediaTek processors. Only the latest and greatest Snapdragon processors are found in the company’s highest-end flagship devices. That looks set to continue this year with the OnePlus 11. A recent Weibo post confirms that the upcoming handset will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
Xiaomi 13 series
Traditionally, Xiaomi launched its biggest device toward the latter portion of the year. This means that we often see smartphones launch in China just before the New Year. Xiaomi has confirmed on Weibo that the 13 series is coming soon and with the latest processor in tow.
Motorola X40 series
Although Motorola no longer competes directly with the best in the business in the sales charts, we’ve seen a number of impressive devices be added to the growing X-series lineup in recent years. The latest will be the Moto X40, which will be Motorola’s first smartphone touting the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. A post on Weibo has teased the new model with an obscured but curvy phone silhouette on show.
Oppo Find X series
Although Oppo has not explicitly confirmed which of its smartphone lineup will launch with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, it’s highly likely that we’ll see the Find X5 Pro follow-up to come with the latest processor onboard. It’s not clear when this device will be unveiled, but it could be in early 2023.
iQOO 11 series
Another subsidiary of BBK Electronics, iQOO is a bigger brand in Asian markets with little prevalence in the rest of the world. The company does make a number of flagship phones with some even featuring BMW Motorsport branding and theming. Despite a lack of global availability, iQOO has confirmed on Weibo that the upcoming iQOO 11 will sport the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. We’d love to see the brand expand into more territories with this release.
RedMagic 8 Pro
Gaming smartphone maker RedMagic has also taken to Weibo to confirm that the upcoming RedMagic 8 Pro will be using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 too. Many of the firm’s flagship devices are aimed solely at the hardened mobile gamer, meaning the RTX-capable processor will be a key selling point along with hardware tailored to maximize gaming performance.
Smartphones expected to arrive with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Based on previous releases and device trends, we’re expecting a number of future smartphones to come with Qualcomm’s latest chip. While none are outright confirmed, the track record of launches from the following manufacturers heavily hints that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will be utilized.
Devices from Asus ROG, Honor, iQOO, Motorola, Nubia, OnePlus, Oppo, Redmagic, Redmi, Sharp, Sony Corporation, Vivo, Xiaomi, Xingi/Meizu, and ZTE are expected to use the processor after being teased during the announcement keynote.
Samsung Galaxy S23 series
Samsung has traditionally offered Qualcomm-powered devices in North American markets only. Exynos models are normally offered in the rest of the world much to the disappointment of many Samsung Galaxy fans. A recent report suggests that all versions of the S23 will come with a Qualcomm processor, but it’s not confirmed at this stage.
We do, however, expect the Galaxy S23, S23, and S23 Ultra to come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 when the trio launches in early 2023.
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