Unveiling the Impending Demise of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2's Samsung Exclusivity

Snapdragon 8 Gen 2’s enhanced iteration may soon relinquish its exclusivity to Samsung.

The Galaxy S23 series embraces Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, albeit an improved version that surpasses the chip currently present in other smartphones. Nevertheless, this exclusive arrangement might soon reach its culmination, as speculation suggests a similar offering will become available to other brands in the near future.

At its essence, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy is fundamentally identical to the chip employed in devices like the OnePlus 11. It boasts remarkable speed and efficiency, manufactured using TSMC’s 4nm process. The 8 Gen 2 has proven to be a formidable chip in each of the phones where it has been implemented, yet the special edition tailored for Samsung devices brings an added advantage.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 2’s Higher Clock Speed

This variant of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 operates at a higher clock speed, thereby empowering the chip to fully harness the potential of its architecture. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy showcases a CPU clock speed of 3.36GHz, surpassing the 3.2GHz of the standard model. Additionally, the GPU is confirmed to have undergone upgrades, although Qualcomm has refrained from disclosing specific details regarding the enhancements.

According to Digital Chat Station on Weibo, Qualcomm intends to introduce its faster Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 to other brands. The post alludes to the possibility of Chinese brands, such as Xiaomi and Oppo, gaining access to this accelerated version.

While it remains uncertain whether this will be an exact replica of the Galaxy model, the crux of the matter is that faster chips appear to be approaching the mainstream market. Presumably, this offering would be marketed as the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2, drawing parallels to last year’s mid-cycle upgrade.

Simultaneously, rumors are intensifying about Qualcomm’s upcoming chips, as leaked benchmarks provide a tantalizing glimpse into the potential power of Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. There are also speculations that Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will incorporate cores developed by Nuvia, a company owned by Qualcomm.