Trusted Reviews is supported by its audience. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

What is the Snapdragon 8S Gen 3?

Qualcomm’s newest offering, the Snapdragon 8S Gen 3, is a specially curated mobile platform based on the existing Snapdragon 8 series. 

But what is the Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 and what does it feature? Read on to learn more about the Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 and what devices we can find it on.

What is the Snapdragon 8S Gen 3?

The latest addition to Qualcomm’s premium Snapdragon 8-series, the Snapdragon 8S Gen 3, is a mobile chipset that promises to deliver the most sought-after 8-series capabilities to more Android flagship smartphones. Qualcomm has previously employed this S-branded tactic with chipsets like the Snapdragon 7S Gen 2, but it’s the first time we’ve seen it on the top-end 8-series.

The Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 includes support for powerful on-device generative AI features and a broad array of AI and LLM models, including Gemini Nano. 

There’s also updated AI camera capabilities with real-time Semantic Segmentation, which individually optimises up to 12 layers of your photos and videos resulting in clear and high-quality content.

Other features include a low-power always-sensing camera, allowing for convenient and secure ultra-fast facial unlocking and mobile payments and lossless high-definition sound, amplified by the Snapdragon Sound Technology Suite.  

With Snapdragon Elite Gaming features, users can experience an improved mobile gaming experience with sharp resolutions and smooth ray-traced graphics. 

The Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 also boasts faster connectivity with powerful battery efficiency. This allows your device to instantly connect to the strongest and fastest Wi-Fi signals available and achieve the fastest possible global mobile connectivity speeds.

In terms of performance, Qualcomm has said that it’ll sit somewhere between the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and 8 Gen 3, suggesting a very powerful, if not quite top-end, chipset.

Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 - Summary Slide

Which devices will use Snapdragon 8S Gen 3?

Huge brands including Honor, iQOO, realme, Redmi and Xiaomi will adopt the Snapdragon 8S Gen 3. The first device to feature the chipset is expected to be announced in March by Xiaomi, with more devices expected to be announced in the coming months. 

Xiaomi’s President promises that the use of the Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 will allow Xiaomi to “provide our customers with a personalised premium experience, all thanks to Generative AI.”

Why trust our journalism?

Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.

Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.

author icon

Editorial independence

Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.

author icon

Professional conduct

We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.

Trusted Reviews Logo

Sign up to our newsletter

Get the best of Trusted Reviews delivered right to your inbox.

This is a test error message with some extra words