Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 Could Reach 4GHz with Custom Phoenix Cores

Qualcomm is reportedly working on a new flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, that could ditch ARM’s CPU designs and use its own custom cores, codenamed Oryon or Phoenix. The new SoC could be made on TSMC’s advanced 3nm process, which would offer better power efficiency than the current Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This could enable the Phoenix cores to achieve higher clock speeds, possibly up to 4.00GHz, according to a leak.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 to adopt a ‘2 + 6’ CPU cluster for better multi-core performance

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is also rumored to follow MediaTek’s Dimensity 9300 strategy and drop the efficiency cores, leaving only two high-performance cores and six mid-range cores in a ‘2 + 6’ configuration. This could boost the multi-core performance of the chipset, but at the expense of battery life, unless the 3nm process can compensate for the increased power consumption.

The leak did not specify which cores were clocked at 4.00GHz, but we assume they were the high-performance ones. If true, this would be a significant improvement over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which has a Cortex-X4 core that peaks at 3.30GHz. The higher frequency of the Phoenix cores could also enhance the single-threaded performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, while the dual-core setup could handle multi-threaded tasks.

How does the Adreno 830 GPU compare?

The leak did not compare the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 to Apple’s A-series or M-series chips, but we have previously reported that Qualcomm is testing the Adreno 830 GPU, which could be faster than the M2. These features sound very impressive, but they are still unconfirmed and subject to change. We advise our readers to take this rumor with a grain of salt, and we will keep you updated with more information.

Related: Tipster Reveals Dimensity 9400’s Edge Over Snapdragon 8 Gen 4