Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 benchmarks score some big gains

Though the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 smartphones gained’t be touchdown in our palms fairly but, we’ve got spent hands-on time with a reference handset at Qualcomm’s 2022 Tech Summit for an early have a look at the chip’s efficiency.

First, some housekeeping earlier than we leap into the numbers. Qualcomm’s reference system is meant to point out off the chip’s real-world potential however might not replicate the outcomes we see in retail merchandise. As an example, we noticed notably decrease efficiency from retail Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 telephones in comparison with Qualcomm’s reference unit final yr. Companions might select to make additional optimizations to efficiency or energy consumption as they see match, so deal with this as a ballpark relatively than an absolute reference. Secondly, Qualcomm’s reference cellphone packed 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, a reasonably frequent setup for a flagship handset.

We had time to run Geekbench 5, AnTuTu, and 3DMark Wildlife assessments on the handset. Qualcomm additionally supplied anticipated outcomes for different benchmarks primarily based by itself testing, which we’ve included in a piece of this text in your reference. As you’ll see, the outcomes we have been in a position to run carefully matched Qualcomm’s claims, so we’re pretty assured its in-house benchmark outcomes are correct.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 benchmark outcomes

As you’d anticipate from Qualcomm’s newest chip, the handset does certainly outmuscle its predecessor. With a powerhouse Arm Cortex-X3 core and 4, relatively than three, middle-tier CPUs, there’s a notable uplift in Geekbench 5 multi-core scores in comparison with earlier years.

The unorthodox quad efficiency core (2x Cortex-A715 + 2x Cortex-A710) method clearly pays dividends in multi-core CPU benchmarks, which sees the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 fly previous earlier technology smartphones and shut the hole on Apple’s A16 Bionic. Qualcomm’s reference handset is available in 23% quicker within the Geekbench 5 multi-core check than the ROG Telephone 6 and outmuscles the Galaxy S22 Extremely by a colossal 51%. That goes to point out simply the extent of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1’s overheating points but in addition reminds us to be cautious that the outcomes scored by Qualcomm’s reference cellphone may not translate over to retail handsets.

Geekbench 5 single-core scores are a bit extra muted of their uplift however nonetheless pretty notable. An Arm Cortex-X3 clocked at 3.19GHz bests a equally clocked Cortex-X2 within the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 by 13.8% — a wholesome win. In comparison with the lower-clocked 8 Gen 1, there’s a 22% single-core efficiency increase on this benchmark. That stated, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 nonetheless lags Apple’s A16 Bionic right here, which retains a wholesome 25% efficiency lead.

Qualcomm’s PC Mark Work 3.0 rating eclipses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and eight Plus Gen 1 smartphones we examined all through 2022. The best rating we clocked this yr was 17,089 from the ROG Telephone 6 operating in X-Mode with a cooler hooked up, so Qualcomm’s reference cellphone is available in round 8.5% quicker than one of the best Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 rating we’ve seen. As soon as once more, this appears to be like like a serious win for the brand new chipset, notably if Qualcomm has lastly kicked the overheating points to the curb.

Turning to graphics, Qualcomm’s promise of a 25% efficiency increase seems to be fairly modest. 3DMark Wildlife showcases a roughly 37% uplift over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and a 29% win over the quickest 8 Plus Gen 1 cellphone we examined. Qualcomm’s reference cellphone eclipses Apple’s newest iPhone on this check as effectively, marking a serious achievement for gaming potential. Nonetheless, whether or not this efficiency could be sustained in retail handsets stays to be seen.

We went again to take a look at some outdated GFXBench outcomes and in contrast these to Qualcomm’s estimates and once more got here up with an analogous 40% win over the 8 Gen 1 and 27% increase over the 8 Plus Gen 1 in GFXBench’s Aztec Ruins check. However extra on that within the subsequent part. After all, benchmarks aren’t consultant of actual video games, however clearly, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is shaping as much as be a really succesful piece of gaming package. We’ll have to attend and see how ray tracing efficiency stacks up as soon as titles seem in 2023.

Qualcomm reference telephones in contrast

As we famous earlier, 2022 flagship telephones handed in considerably decrease benchmark scores than Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 reference unit. So we’ve dug up final yr’s outcomes to match in opposition to Qualcomm’s newest reference unit for a bit extra of an apples-to-apples comparability.

To rapidly summarize, CPU single-core and multi-scores jumped 20% and 38% between Gen 1 and Gen 2 reference telephones, respectively. That falls fairly near Qualcomm’s 35% claimed CPU uplift and is likely to be extra reflective of the beneficial properties we see in precise units.

System-testing Antutu sees a 24% uplift, whereas PCMark Work 3.0 sees a much more modest 10% achieve between the primary and second-generation chipsets. As soon as once more, these figures aren’t fairly as spectacular as after we in contrast Qualcomm’s reference cellphone in opposition to retail handsets, so we must always preserve actual system expectations in verify for now.

Lastly, graphics. A 30% achieve for 3DMark Wildlife and a 40% lead in GFXBench’s Aztec Ruins reveals that gaming stands out as the largest winner for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Nonetheless, the older GFXBench T-Rex barely moved the needle in any respect, with a 1.9% enchancment. This implies that older APIs and sport engines gained’t see the identical efficiency enhancements as these utilizing the most recent OpenGL and Vulkan graphics APIs.

Qualcomm’s expanded 8 Gen 2 benchmark outcomes

For completeness, beneath is a listing of extra benchmark expectations that Qualcomm supplied to Android Authority on the Snapdragon Tech Summit 2022. Whereas we didn’t have time to confirm all of those outcomes, we noticed comparable scores within the assessments we had time to run. We’ll be capable to run extra assessments as soon as telephones launch within the coming months.

Whereas we await retail handsets to land within the coming months, Qualcomm’s reference handset offers us with an early have a look at what we’d anticipate, and preliminary benchmarks are promising. We’re a considerable uplift in multi-core CPU efficiency, owing to the novel CPU association, together with notable wins for players. And that’s with out dipping our toes into the looming world of ray tracing.

Up subsequent: Smartphone ray tracing is right here, however is it the actual deal?

Nonetheless, the large unknowns at this stage are sustained efficiency and vitality effectivity. We’ll have to attend for real-world battery assessments to see how the absence of 1 energy-efficiency core impacts handset longevity. We’re additionally hoping that the transfer to TSMC’s 4nm course of addresses the overheating points we noticed with 8 Gen 1 smartphones. Fortunately we noticed constructive real-world and stress check outcomes on this regard from Snapdragon Plus 8 Gen 1 handsets, which dropped Samsung’s 4nm node for TSMC’s N4.

All that considered, if Qualcomm’s claims and reference design benchmarks bear out in retail smartphones, shoppers may very well be in for a serious efficiency leap this technology. However that’s equally all the way down to so-so efficiency from early 2022 flagships as it’s generational efficiency beneficial properties from the 8 Gen 2. After all, benchmarks aren’t every thing, but when peak efficiency is your factor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 appears to be like promising.