Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 could pack two Cortex-X4 cores in a 2+4+2 configuration

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3's core configuration is a hotly contested topic. One leak said it would feature eight cores in a 1+5+2 setup, while another broke it down to a 1+3+2+2 layout. The former suggested its five performance (Cortex-A720) cores would be identical, and the latter said they would differ in clocks and cache. Now, a third configuration has entered the fray, and it is, by far, the most puzzling one yet.

Digital Chat Station, a prolific Weibo leaker, says the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 will have two Cortex-X4 cores in combination with four Cortex-A720 and two Cortex-A520 cores. This is intriguing because Qualcomm has stuck with one "prime" core (Cortex X or otherwise) for many generations. While it could help bolster its multi-threaded performance, the increased power consumption could force OEMs to come up with creative cooling solutions.

That said, the aforementioned Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 variant could be reserved for tablets. Alternatively, it could just be a prototype that will never leave the lab. It could lay the groundwork for its successor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, which is rumoured to feature a Nuvia-branded eight-core CPU with a 2+6 configuration. Then again, Qualcomm isn't the only one dabbling with multiple Cortex-X cores. The 2025-bound Exynos 2500 will supposedly have four of them.

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