Snapdragon 7 Plus to give mid-range smartphones a performance boost

So, last year, Qualcomm dropped the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 processor, giving mid-range phones a serious power boost. Now, the excitement is growing for an even more significant upgrade in the upcoming Snapdragon 7 Plus chipset.

So, according to a Weibo post from the tipster Digital Chat Station (as reported by Android Authority), the next Snapdragon 7 Plus processor, probably the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3, is gearing up for a “major upgrade” (translated by a machine). The leaker is hinting that the chipset will adopt the architecture from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is the newest and top-of-the-line processor from Snapdragon, powering flagship phones in 2024 like the OnePlus 12 and the upcoming Galaxy S24 series. This chip packs a punch with its octa-core CPU setup, featuring a mighty Cortex-X4 big core, five Cortex-A720 medium cores, and two Cortex-A520 little cores. There’s a chance that the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 might come with these same powerful CPU cores.

To break it down, think of your smartphone’s CPU like a team of workers, each with their specific jobs. The big core, acting as the team leader, deals with the heavy lifting—running intense games or complex apps. The medium cores, functioning like seasoned workers, handle everyday tasks such as web browsing and messaging. Meanwhile, the little cores, like apprentices, take care of background duties like managing notifications and handling app processes.

So, by throwing in a mix of big, medium, and little cores, these System on Chips (SoCs) find that sweet spot between power and efficiency. This means they can tackle all sorts of tasks without draining your battery. We expect the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 to be used in more devices than its earlier version. The previous one was kinda exclusive, only showing up in certain gadgets from Xiaomi and Realme, like the Redmi Note 13 Pro and Poco F5, but none of them made it to the US.

The Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 could seriously level up mid-range smartphones, giving them top-tier capabilities without breaking the bank. If it lives up to the hype, it might shake up the market by making high-performance devices more accessible to a wider group of consumers.