Qualcomm Unveils the New Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 Mobile Processor

Qualcomm has officially unveiled the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, a processor designed to strike the perfect balance between high-end and budget solutions. As a more accessible alternative to the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite, this new chip retains key premium features while making them more affordable—potentially reshaping the market for powerful smartphones in the coming months.

Contrary to expectations, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 is manufactured using TSMC’s 4nm process rather than the more advanced 3nm node found in its higher-end counterpart. However, this hasn't stopped Qualcomm from achieving impressive results: its 8-core architecture (1+3+2+2 configuration, clocked up to 3.2 GHz) delivers a 31% increase in CPU speed compared to Gen 3, while the upgraded GPU boosts graphics performance by 49%. At the same time, power consumption is reduced by 39%, making it particularly appealing for gaming sessions and extended usage.

The next-generation NPU accelerates AI-driven tasks by 44%, unlocking advanced photo processing, smart assistants, and generative AI capabilities directly on the device. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 also supports cameras up to 320MP and 4K HDR video recording at 60 FPS — an exciting prospect for mobile photography enthusiasts. Despite lacking mmWave 5G (a technology relevant only to select markets), the chip includes Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0 for ultra-fast data transfer, along with LPDDR5X RAM (4800 MHz) and UFS 4.0 storage compatibility.

The first smartphone to feature the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 will be the Redmi Turbo 4 Pro, which is rumored to pack a massive 7,500 mAh battery. Following that, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Realme, iQOO, and Meizu are expected to integrate the new chipset into their devices. Announcements are anticipated in the second half of 2025, with prices projected to be 20–30% lower than Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered flagships.

Offering near-flagship performance without "premium" trade-offs like an expensive manufacturing process or niche features, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 has the potential to disrupt the high-performance smartphone segment. Now, all that remains is to wait for the first benchmarks — if Qualcomm's claims hold up, this could mark the beginning of a true high-tech revolution in affordable smartphones.