Leak reveals Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy SoC spec details 

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Qualcomm usually launches two variants of its flagship SoC, a standard version alongside a slightly faster “Plus” variant. In recent years, only Samsung has used the speedier version, and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy continues that trend.

Last year, Samsung got exclusive access to the Plus variant with “for Galaxy” branding. That meant all other brands had to settle for the normal Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, in its non-overclocked state.

The same trend will repeat this year with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy featured on the Galaxy S24 series.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy to feature an overclocked GPU for better AI performance

The information comes from renowned leaker Yogesh Brar, who shared the specifications for the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, revealing the difference between this one and the standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

According to the leak, the new “for Galaxy” variant of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 will be similar to the regular version but with different clock speeds across the board. 

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
(SM8650 – AB)
– 1 x 3.3GHz Cortex X4
– 5 x 3.2GHz/3GHz Cortex A720
– 2 x 2.3GHz Cortex A520

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy
(SM8650 – AC)
– 1 x 3.4GHz Cortex X4
– 5 x 3.15GHz/2.96GHz Cortex A720
– 2 x 2.27GHz Cortex A520

Overclocked GPU for better AI

— Yogesh Brar (@heyitsyogesh) November 3, 2023

The prime core of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy is slightly overclocked at 3.4GHz. Generally, it’s 3.3GHz. On the other hand, the two performance core clusters and the efficiency core clusters are both slightly underclocked.

With last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy having overclocked efficiency cores, perhaps Samsung is opting for better thermals and battery life this time around.

Besides the CPU, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy is said to come with an overclocked GPU for better AI performance, and we expect the SoC to contribute to the AI enhancements coming on the Galaxy S24 series. 

Last year, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 “for Galaxy” version only had a marginal overclock on the prime core and an overclocked GPU. 

Qualcomm even gave Samsung exclusivity by letting it use the “for Galaxy” branding for a while. 

However, later in the year, the same overclocked variant was used by other smartphone manufacturers but without any special branding.

We are expecting Qualcomm to provide the same exclusivity to Samsung this year, too, so we should see some Snapdragon 8 Gen 3+ flagships later on in 2024.

Have any thoughts on this? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to feature Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
• Qualcomm debuts powerful laptop-grade Snapdragon X Elite chip
• Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will feature desktop-class Oryon cores
• Xiaomi 14 Series: First Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered phones launched