What you need to know
- Qualcomm launches the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, a midrange chip built on a 4nm process.
- The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 features on-device AI capabilities similar to the 8 Gen 3, bringing enhanced image and video capture.
- GPU performance is 50% faster compared to the first 7-series chip, while AI performance is 60% better.
- Honor and Vivo will be the first Android OEMs to launch phones with the new chip
It seems like just yesterday, we were talking about the new Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2, which is probably because the chip was launched earlier this year in March. But now, Qualcomm is back with another 7-series chip, this time with some new AI chops for midrange phones.
According to Qualcomm, the new Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 brings “exhilarating on-device AI,” something that was the highlight of the recently launched Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. With it, the chip promises to enable devices to keep up with users with features like AI-based activity tracking, multi-language translation, and more, although it seems more advanced features will remain exclusive to the flagship chip, which is no surprise.
Still, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 promises to bring some welcome upgrades for midrange phones.
AI will also be used to enhance image quality, too. The chip supports 200MP sensors and promises sharper, more balanced images thanks to features like enhanced noise reduction, AI remosaic, and support for Google’s Ultra HDR photo format, which you can find on phones like the Pixel 8 Pro. Videos also get a boost thanks to AI video retouch and computational 4K HDR Video Capture.
For gaming, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 features resolution upscaling so your games look better than ever, and the chip also brings spatial audio support to the 7-series, so you can immerse yourself in your entertainment with your favorite wireless earbuds.
Of course, if and how OEMs choose to implement these features is a whole other thing, but at least the new chip should make these features more accessible for more affordable phones.
Snapdragon Seamless is also supported on the 7 Gen 3, meaning you’ll be able to connect your phone to other compatible Snapdragon devices easily, regardless of the OS or OEM.
The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is built on a 4nm process with a single prime core clocked at 2.63GHz, three performance cores at 2.4GHz, and four efficiency cores at 1.8GHz. Compared to the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, this new chip brings 15% faster CPU performance, 50% better GPU performance, and 60% better AI performance. It’s also 20% more efficient, so your phones should last longer while still being plenty powerful.
Honor and Vivo will be among the first Android OEMs to launch phones featuring the chip, with announcements expected this month.
