Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 shines in initial energy efficiency tests ^↺

It has only been a few days since Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, an iterative upgrade over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The performance gains, however, are more than just iterative, if recent rumours are to be believed. Now that the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is out of the door, Qualcomm is busy developing its 2023 flagship SoC, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

Twitter leaker Ice Universe says that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is significantly more energy-efficient than its antecedents, including the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. Given that Qualcomm is expected to launch it early, the fact that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is already being tested isn't surprising. It is likely that Qualcomm will stick with TSMC for its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 requirements. However, it could use the the same (or an improved version) of the TSMC N4 node, due to poor yields from the next-generation 3 nm process.

While it is refreshing to hear that Qualcomm has the power efficiency problem ironed out, it'll be interesting to see what the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 has to offer in terms of raw power. The ARM Cortex X2 core is notoriously power hungry, and its successor, the Cortex X3 could follow suit. Then again, Qualcomm doesn't have to worry about Exynos for the foreseeable future, or at least until 2025, by when Samsung will have its custom-designed SoC for Galaxy smartphones ready.

Ice Universe also mentions that the upcoming Galaxy S22 FE could use a Dimensity 9000 SoC, echoing previous rumours about the topic. After the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 debacle, it is unlikely that Qualcomm will go back to Samsung Foundries anytime soon, and using the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 on a FE-branded phone is detrimental to its existing offerings. That leaves the Dimensity 9000 as the sole candidate for the affordable flaghship, which, if things go smoothly, should debut before 2022 ends.

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