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Following the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 last month, Qualcomm has now launched the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3. It’s a 4nm chipset aimed at the next generation of mid-range Android smartphones. Like its more powerful 8-series sibling, AI performance remains Qualcomm’s key focus with the new mid-range SoC too. It will debut inside HONOR and Vivo phones later this month, with more products to follow soon.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 specs
Qualcomm’s latest 7-series chipset features one prime CPU core clocked at 2.63GHz, three performance cores at 2.4GHz, and four efficiency cores at 1.8GHz. The company claims a 15 percent boost in CPU performance compared to the previous generation. Note that the comparison is being made with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, which debuted in May 2022. Qualcomm also launched Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 and Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 earlier this year.
The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 (part number SM7550-AB) is also touted to bring a 50 percent boost in GPU performance. These improvements allow for 20 percent better overall power efficiency of the chip. Snapdragon Elite Gaming and Qualcomm Game Quick Touch enable smooth and immersive mobile gaming with efficient resource optimization and intelligent upscaling of graphics on the screen.
However, the biggest upgrade comes in the form of AI performance. The chip’s Qualcomm Hexagon NPU and brand-new INT4 precision support deliver a 90 percent increase in AI performance along with a 60 percent increase in power savings. The use of generative AI has grown exponentially over the past year, so it’s no surprise that Qualcomm is putting in efforts to bring AI improvements to low-cost devices.
Coming to imaging, the new Qualcomm processor’s Spectra Triple ISP supports up to 200MP cameras with 10-bit color depth. It offers computational 4K HDR video recording with HDR10+, HDR10, Adaptive HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision formats. The chip boasts AI-based face detection, auto-focus, and auto-exposure. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 also supports Qualcomm Aqstic audio codec and Aqstic smart speaker amplifier.
Wi-Fi 6E, mmWave 5G, Quick Charge 5, and more
For connectivity, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 comes with an integrated Snapdragon X63 5G Modem-RF System that supports both mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G networks in standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) modes. The firm claims a peak download speed of 5Gbps. The chip also supports Qualcomm’s FastConnect 6700 System for Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. Bluetooth v5.3 is supported with Bluetooth LE Audio, including Qualcomm aptX Voice.
On-device display support includes 4K resolution at 60Hz refresh rate, WFHD+ at 168Hz, and WQHD+ at 120Hz. The chip also supports external displays up to 4K resolution at a 60Hz refresh rate. OEMs can pair the SoC with up to 16GB LPDDR5 or LPDDR4x memory at up to 3200MHz and 2133MHz frequency, respectively. Qualcomm isn’t offering UFS 4.0 storage support here, limiting the chip to the previous-gen UFS 3.1 standard.
The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 5 Technology, which is touted to deliver a 0-50% charge in just five minutes. Of course, the real-life speed depends on a lot of factors, including the battery capacity, charging speed, and thermal management capabilities of the device. You also get triple-frequency (L1/L5/L2) location tracking support over GPS, Glonass, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS, and NavIC navigation systems.
Last but not least, the chip boasts Qualcomm’s industry-leading security solutions including Trusted Execution Environment & Services (TEE) and Trust Management Engine. Overall, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is a highly capable mid-range SoC that, on paper, delivers exhilarating on-device AI along with excellent mobile gaming and overall device performance. With its market debut expected this month, we should soon know its real-life performance too.
