Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 vs Snapdragon 7 Gen 3
The Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 is a mid-range chip from Qualcomm, and the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is an upper mid-range chip from Qualcomm. In Geekbench 6, the two chips are nearly level in multi-core (3,220 vs 3,230), but the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is 12% faster in single-core. In 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, a graphics test, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 scores 16% higher (490 vs 424).
Benchmarks head to head
Full chipset rankingMulti-core Geekbench 6
Nearly levelSingle-core Geekbench 6
Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 +12%Graphics 3DMark Steel Nomad Light
Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 +16%Higher is better. Bars are relative to the faster chip in each test. A dash means we don’t have a reliable result for that chip yet.
Key facts
Specs from the chip makers. The better result in each benchmark is highlighted.
| Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 | Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Qualcomm | Qualcomm |
| Class | Mid-range | Upper mid-range |
| Announced | May 2026 | Nov 2023 |
| Process | 4 nm TSMC | 4 nm TSMC |
| CPU | 8 cores 4× 2.6 GHz + 4× 2.0 GHz | 8 cores 1× 2.63 GHz + 3× 2.4 GHz + 4× 1.8 GHz |
| Max CPU speed | 2.6 GHz | 2.63 GHz |
| GPU | Adreno 812 | Adreno 720 |
| 5G modem | Built-in 5G | Built-in 5G |
| Place in our ranking | #63 of 113 | #62 of 113 (better) |
| Geekbench 6 single-core | 1,040 | 1,160 (better) |
| Geekbench 6 multi-core | 3,220 | 3,230 |
| Graphics (3DMark Steel Nomad Light) | 424 | 490 (better) |
| Phones in our database | 1 phone | 5 phones |
| Best-rated phone | REDMI Note 17 Pro Max 5G 7.3 | Motorola Edge 50 Pro 7.2 |
| Newest phone | REDMI Note 17 Pro Max 5G Aug 2026 | HONOR 400 May 2025 |
Phones with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5
1 phone in our database, best rated first.
-
7.3
REDMI Note 17 Pro Max 5G
6.83″ 120 Hz, 50 MP camera, 10,000 mAh
No US price + Compare
Phones with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3
5 phones in our database, best rated first.
-
7.2
Motorola Edge 50 Pro
6.7″ 144 Hz, 50 MP camera, 4,500 mAh
No US price + Compare -
7.1
HONOR 400
6.55″ 120 Hz, 200 MP camera, 5,300 mAh
No US price + Compare -
7.0
vivo V50
6.77″ 120 Hz, 50 MP camera, 6,000 mAh
No US price + Compare -
6.7
vivo V40
6.78″ 120 Hz, 50 MP camera, 5,500 mAh
No US price + Compare
Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 vs Snapdragon 7 Gen 3: FAQ
Which is faster, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 or the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3?
In Geekbench 6, the two chips are nearly level in multi-core (3,220 vs 3,230), but the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is 12% faster in single-core. In 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, a graphics test, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 scores 16% higher (490 vs 424). Real-world speed also depends on how well each phone keeps the chip cool and on its software.
Is the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 or the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 better for gaming?
3DMark Steel Nomad Light measures graphics performance, which matters most for games. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 scores 16% higher than the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 (490 vs 424). Cooling, screen refresh rate and game support also make a difference, so check the phones themselves.
Which is newer, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 or the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3?
The Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 is newer: it was announced in May 2026, while the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 was announced in November 2023.
Which phones use the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 and the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3?
The Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 powers one phone in our database: the REDMI Note 17 Pro Max 5G. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 powers 5 phones in our database, including the Motorola Edge 50 Pro, HONOR 400 and vivo V50.
Where do these benchmark scores come from?
They are reference results for each chip: the median of several Geekbench 6 runs on retail phones. The 3DMark Steel Nomad Light graphics score is the median of the results for retail phones with the chip in the official ranking of UL, the maker of 3DMark. The same chip can score a little differently from phone to phone, depending on cooling, clock speeds and software.
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