Rumor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 leak points to four-cluster CPU architecture led by Cortex-X3 Prime core with 3.2 GHz boost

Qualcomm is expected to announce the next generation of the Snapdragon Mobile Platform on November 15 this year after having launched the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 so far. Expected to be named Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, we are now getting to see some early information about Qualcomm's upcoming flagship SoC.

This information comes via known leaker Ice Universe, who indicates that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will be codenamed the SM8550. So far, leaks have pointed to an eight-core architecture clustered into four groups. We have previously reported that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 could boost up to 3.5 GHz putting it in the same league as the Apple A16 Bionic that offers a 3.45 GHz boost. 

Ice Universe details the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2's configuration as follows:

• 1× Cortex-X3 @ 3.2 GHz
• 2× Cortex-A715 @ 2.8 GHz
• 2× Cortex-A710 @ 2.8 GHz
• 3× Cortex-A510 @ 2.0 GHz

If true, this indicates Qualcomm wants to move to a four-cluster architecture as opposed to the 8 Gen 1 and 8+ Gen 1's tri-cluster model. The Cortex-X3, Cortex-A715, and Cortex-A510 were recently unveiled by ARM, with the X3 touted to offer up to a 11% IPC increase over the Cortex-X2. 

Ice Universe does not detail the exact improvements coming to the NPU and Adreno 740 GPU but confirms that Qualcomm will be making use of TSMC's 4 nm process for the 8 Gen 2 like the 8+ Gen 1. It is not clear whether Qualcomm would transition to TSMC 3 nm with the purported 8+ Gen 2 mid-cycle refresh later.

Qualcomm apparently is sparing no effort to beat the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 while still focusing on efficiency. That probably explains the 8 Gen 2's new configuration with an additional Cortex-A710 cluster while also sporting a faster Cortex-X3 Prime core and the improved Cortex-A715.

It may be recalled that MediaTek already has a Dimensity 9000+ available with a faster Cortex-X2 core compared to the Dimensity 9000, and it is being heard on the grapevine that a Dimensity 9100 (or Dimensity 10000, if you will) is already in the works.

Devices so far known to sport the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 include the Samsung Galaxy S23 series, Vivo X90 Pro+, Xiaomi 13 Pro, OnePlus 11 Pro, and a flagship Motorola phone. With expected performance gains up to 25% and 40% with the CPU and GPU, respectively combined with a rumored 15% lower power consumption, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 could further bridge the gap with Apple's own silicon.

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