GDC 2025 | Snapdragon G2 Gen 2 and Snapdragon G1 Gen 2 unveiled for mid-range handheld consoles

Alongside the high-end Snapdragon G3 Gen 3, Qualcomm has also shown off two new gaming handheld-focused SoCs called the Snapdragon G2 Gen 2 and Snapdragon G1 Gen 2. As their names suggest, they are scaled-down variants of the G3, earmarked for different tiers of consoles.

Snapdragon G2 Gen 2

Starting with the Snapdragon G2 Gen 2, you get an 8-core CPU with 1 prime core, 4 performance cores and 3 efficiency cores. Qualcomm doesn't usually reveal what Arm cores it uses, but in this case one can reasonably assume them to be a Cortex-X4, Cortex-A710 and Cortex-A510. An Adreno G22 GPU powers the SoC, which supports Snapdragon Game Super Resolution and Adreno Frame Motion Engine 2.0.

Qualcomm claims the Snapdragon G2 Gen 2 offers a 2.3x CPU performance increase and 3.8x faster GPU performance increase over Snapdragon G2 Gen 1. Lastly, it can QHD+ display at up to 144 Hz and supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3.

Snapdragon G1 Gen 2

Next, the Snapdragon G1 Gen 2 is the entry-level SKU of the lot. It has two P-cores and six E-cores, suggesting it is derived from a mid-range (Snapdragon 6 Gen tier or older) SoC. Qualcomm says it is better suited for cloud gaming workloads and not running stuff natively.

Its anaemic CPU is accompanied by an Adreno A12 GPU. The Snapdragon G1 Gen 2 can power a FHD+ display at up to 120 Hz. Interestingly, it only supports Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1, putting it well behind its better-specced counterparts. This will likely power devices like the PlayStation Portal that rely on an external device to do all the heavy lifting.