Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Benchmark Comparison

Apr. 6, 2024

After Qualcomm released theSnapdragon 8s Gen 3, Xiaomi was the first to launch a smartphone – the Civi 4 Pro in China – powered by this chipset. The latest Snapdragon 8-series chipset is said to deliver flagship performance without the bells and whistles generally seen on premium chipsets. So to evaluate the performance, we have conducted a benchmark comparison between Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. We have tested the CPU, GPU, and NPU of both processors using Geekbench, AnTuTu, and other benchmarking apps.

Note:We benchmarked the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 on the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 on the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro.

Specs Comparison

Before we proceed, you should understand theSnapdragon chipset naming schemeand the specs comparison between Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and 8 Gen 3.Snapdragon 8s Gen 3Snapdragon 8 Gen 3Process NodeTSMC 4nmTSMC 4nmCPUOcta-core Kryo CPU1x 3.0GHz (Cortex-X4)4x 2.8GHz (Cortex-A720)3x 2.0GHz (Cortex-A520)Octa-core Kryo CPU1x3.3GHz (Cortex-X4)3x3.2GHz (Cortex-A720)2x3.0GHz (Cortex-A720)2x2.3GHz (Cortex-A520)GPUAdreno 735HW Ray TracingAFME 2.0Adreno 750HW Ray Tracing withGlobal IlluminationAFME 2.0Unreal Engine 5 LumenNPUHexagon NPURun AI models up to 10B parametersHexagon NPURun AI models up to 10B parametersCamera SupportCognitive ISP, Triple 18-bit ISPsUp to 200MP photo capture108MP ZSL, 64+36 ZSL, 36+36+36 ZSL4K HDR video capture at 60 FPSCognitive ISP, Triple 18-bit ISPsUp to 200MP photo capture108MP ZSL, 64+36 ZSL, 36+36+36 ZSL8KHDR video capture at 30FPSNight VisionVideo Capture with AI Noise ReductionConnectivityWi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, LEWi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, LEModemSnapdragon X70 5G ModemPeak Download Speed 5 GbpsPeak Upload Speed 3.5 GbpsSnapdragonX75 5G modemPeak Download Speed 10GbpsPeak Upload Speed 3.5 GbpsStorage / RAM SupportUFS 4.0LPDDR5X memory up to 4200MHzUFS 4.0LPDDR5X memory up to4800MHzAV1 Codec SupportHW-accelerated AV1 Decode onlyHW-accelerated AV1 Decode onlyNavIC SupportYesYes

In the Geekbench 6 CPU test, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 scored on expected lines, achieving a single-core score of 1,999 points and a multi-core score of 5,273 points. In comparison, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 scores 2,234 in the single-core test and a whopping 6,985 in the multi-core test.

In multi-threaded tasks, there is a considerable difference between the two chipsets despite having the same CPU cores. Thedifference of 300MHz to 400MHzin clock speeds pushes the 8 Gen 3 to deliver great performance. That said, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is on par with the last-gen flagship chipset,Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

Next, in the CPU Throttling test, both chipsets have done pretty well. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, in the 15-minute test,throttled the CPU to 94% of its maximum performance. In contrast, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 throttled to 90% of its maximum performance. There were no visible drops in performance on both chipsets, which is great.

We tried to run the 3DMark GPU test on the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro, but it crashed repeatedly. So we have included results from the Geekbench GPU test, for bothOpenCL and Vulkanframeworks. In the OpenCL test, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 scored 8,838, and in the Vulkan test, it got 10,154 points.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, on the other hand,scored 14,540 pointsin the OpenCL test and16,522 pointsin the Vulkan test. There is a difference of more than 60% between the GPU performance of both chipsets is huge.

Qualcomm has put thetop-tier Adreno 750 GPUon the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and if you want a flagship gaming experience, you should consider this chipset. Note that the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is also packing a capable GPU, and it performs close to the Adreno 740 GPU on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.Geekbench 6 GPUSnapdragon 8s Gen 3Snapdragon 8 Gen 3OpenCL8,83814,540Vulkan10,15416,522

To test the Hexagon NPU, we ran the Geekbench ML test on both 8-series chipsets, and strangely, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 performed better than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

We also ran the AI Benchmark app, however, the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro performed poorly likely due to a lack of framework support. We will update the article when the results are consistent.

From the benchmark numbers, it’s evident that the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 isnot a premium-tier chipset, and doesn’t come close to the latest flagship, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. However, it rivals the last-gen flagship chipset from Qualcomm, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and matches the performance in nearly all segments. It can be seen as a souped-up version of theSnapdragon 7+ Gen 3, which was recently launched.

Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 puts itself in a unique position. It’s better than the 7-series segment,almost flagship-levelwhile lacking some Snapdragon experiences. On the efficiency front, I believe, it’s going to offer a better experience. What do you think about this new chipset? Do let us know in the comments below.

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