Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 are both flagship chips made by Qualcomm. In Geekbench 6, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is 30% faster in multi-core (6,750 vs 5,200) and 9% faster in single-core. In 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, a graphics test, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 scores 51% higher (1,642 vs 1,091).
Benchmarks head to head
Full chipset rankingMulti-core Geekbench 6
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 +30%Single-core Geekbench 6
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 +9%Graphics 3DMark Steel Nomad Light
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 +51%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 8 Gen 2 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Qualcomm | Qualcomm |
| Class | Flagship | Flagship |
| Announced | Nov 2022 | Oct 2023 |
| Process | 4 nm TSMC N4P | 4 nm TSMC |
| CPU | 8 cores 1× 3.19 GHz + 4× 2.8 GHz + 3× 2.0 GHz | 8 cores 1× 3.3 GHz + 3× 3.2 GHz + 2× 3.0 GHz + 2× 2.3 GHz |
| Max CPU speed | 3.19 GHz | 3.3 GHz |
| GPU | Adreno 740 | Adreno 750 |
| 5G modem | Built-in 5G | Built-in 5G |
| Place in our ranking | #36 of 112 | #26 of 112 (better) |
| Geekbench 6 single-core | 2,010 | 2,200 (better) |
| Geekbench 6 multi-core | 5,200 | 6,750 (better) |
| Graphics (3DMark Steel Nomad Light) | 1,091 | 1,642 (better) |
| Phones in our database | 7 phones | 22 phones |
| Best-rated phone | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 7.8 | Xiaomi 14 Ultra 8.5 |
| Lowest US launch price | $500 OnePlus 12R | $549 REDMAGIC 10 Air |
| Newest phone | POCO F6 Pro May 2024 | vivo X Fold5 Jun 2025 |
Phones with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
7 phones in our database, best rated first.
-
7.8 Discontinued
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
6.8″ 120 Hz, 200 MP camera, 5,000 mAh
From $1,199.99 + Compare -
7.3 Discontinued
OnePlus 12R
6.78″ 120 Hz, 50 MP camera, 5,500 mAh
From $499.99 + Compare -
7.2
POCO F6 Pro
6.67″ 120 Hz, 50 MP camera, 5,000 mAh
No US price + Compare -
7.2 Discontinued
Samsung Galaxy S23+
6.6″ 120 Hz, 50 MP camera, 4,700 mAh
From $999.99 + Compare
Phones with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
22 phones in our database, best rated first.
-
8.5
Xiaomi 14 Ultra
6.73″ 120 Hz, 50 MP camera, 5,000 mAh
No US price + Compare -
8.4
HONOR 400 Pro
6.7″ 120 Hz, 200 MP camera, 5,300 mAh
No US price + Compare -
8.4 Discontinued
OnePlus 12
6.82″ 120 Hz, 50 MP camera, 5,400 mAh
From $799.99 + Compare -
8.3
vivo X Fold5
8.03″ 120 Hz, 50 MP camera, 6,000 mAh
No US price + Compare
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: FAQ
Which is faster, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3?
In Geekbench 6, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is 30% faster in multi-core (6,750 vs 5,200) and 9% faster in single-core. In 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, a graphics test, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 scores 51% higher (1,642 vs 1,091). Real-world speed also depends on how well each phone keeps the chip cool and on its software.
Is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 better for gaming?
3DMark Steel Nomad Light measures graphics performance, which matters most for games. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 scores 51% higher than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (1,642 vs 1,091). Cooling, screen refresh rate and game support also make a difference, so check the phones themselves.
Which is newer, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3?
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is newer: it was announced in October 2023, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 was announced in November 2022.
Which phones use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3?
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powers 7 phones in our database, including the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, OnePlus 12R and POCO F6 Pro. The lowest US launch price with this chip is $500, for the OnePlus 12R. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 powers 22 phones in our database, including the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, HONOR 400 Pro and OnePlus 12. The lowest US launch price with this chip is $549, for the REDMAGIC 10 Air.
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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