Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: What’s the difference?

Samsung’s top-end Galaxy S24 range sports a unique Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset – but what’s the difference between it and the regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 3?

It’s not the first time we’ve seen an exclusive ‘For Galaxy’ variant of a Snapdragon chipset. In fact, this is the second year of the partnership between chipmaker Qualcomm and Samsung, and it follows on from last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy.

In essence, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy is framed as a more powerful version of the regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which is no slouch by the way, though there’s more to it than that.

Here are some key differences between the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy and the regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. 

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy is more powerful

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and the ‘for Galaxy’ variant are both top-end 2024 flagship chipsets, with the regular 8 Gen 3 boasting a 20% in CPU performance, a 26% boost in GPU performance and a whopping 42% increase in NPU power compared to last year’s 8 Gen 2 that is impressive enough, but the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy takes things a step further.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset, like last year’s variant, sports a slightly higher CPU clock speed at 3.39GHz, although unlike last year, it’s not that much higher than the 3.3GHz of the regular chipset. There’s also said to be a boost to GPU performance, though neither Qualcomm nor Samsung have provided any details on the specific differences on offer. 

If there is indeed a GPU boost alongside the faster CPU clock speeds, it essentially gives Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy-equipped devices an edge over the flagship competition, achieving the best performance possible from the mobile chipset. 

Both offer impressive GenAI performance

Regardless of the variant of Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset your smartphone has, you’ll find support for on-device generative AI – the tech that powers chatbots like ChatGPT and much more. 

At the launch of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Qualcomm showcased a number of use cases for on-device GenAI including generative fill photo editing tech, impressive AI-powered zoom capabilities and the ability to write and re-write chunks of text on demand.

While Qualcomm doesn’t have a direct say on the features of the phones its chips are used in, we have seen manufacturers like Samsung utilise GenAI tech on their latest smartphones. 

In Samsung’s case, that comes in the form of Galaxy AI, GenAI-powered tech that allows the Galaxy S24 series to perform some pretty cool functions. These range from real-time dictation and translation to photo editing features and even the ability to summarise long audio recordings with the tap of a button, and other manufacturers will likely follow suit as 2024 progresses. 

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy is a Samsung exclusive

As you might’ve already guessed from the name, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy is exclusive to Samsung devices – and even then, it’ll only be the creme of the crop that gets this chipset.

At present, that’s the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra, though it’s highly likely that we’ll see the chipsets appear on this year’s foldable range, the Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6, when they arrive later this year. That’s what happened with the 2023 foldable range, anyway!

Don’t feel too disheartened if you’re not a Samsung fan though; last year, the 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy was rebranded as an overclocked 8 Gen 2 and was made available for smartphones in late 2023, making an appearance in performance-focused smartphones like the RedMagic 8S Pro. 

There’s no confirmation that’ll happen again this year, but again, it’s highly likely.