What you need to know
- Qualcomm has announced its next generation of Snapdragon G Series processors.
- There are a total of three new SoCs, headlined by the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2.
- These new processors should begin appearing soon, as Qualcomm is collaborating with several different manufacturers.
Earlier this month, we learned about the AYANEO Pocket AIR gaming handheld and how it would be powered by MediaTek's Dimensity 1200. Now, Qualcomm has announced a new lineup of gaming-focused processors that could blow MediaTek out of the water.
Late in 2021, we saw Qualcomm announce the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1, which ended up making its way to the Razer Edge. Now, Qualcomm is putting more chips in the basket, as there are a total of three new processors coming to a handheld near you.
Headlining this trio of chips is the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2, operating as the natural successor to the Gen 1. Qualcomm claims this SoC offers "over 30% faster CPU performance and a whopping 2x faster GPU performance compared to its predecessor."
Some of the other features we can expect from devices using the G3x Gen 2 include "hardware-accelerated ray tracing, game super resolution, XR glass tethering," and "low-latency premium Bluetooth." It also opens the door for a successor to the Razer Edge thanks to its support for Wi-Fi 7 along with 5G sub-6 and mmWave.
While the G3x Gen 2 is easily the flagship of the group, the Snapdragon G1 and G2 are no slouches. The former is the company's entry-level gaming handheld chip, utilizing Qualcomm's octa-core Kryo CPU along with an Adreno A11 GPU. This one is definitely going to be geared towards streaming games from GeForce Now or Xbox Game Pass.
Meanwhile, the Snapdragon G2 offers a pretty enticing middle ground, as it uses the same octa-core Kryo CPU but offers a bump up to the Adreno A21 GPU. Making things even better is support for 5G and Wi-Fi 6E, meaning that you'll be able to enjoy "premium mobile and cloud gaming titles virtually anywhere, without compromise."
Following the announcement from Qualcomm, AYANEO quickly jumped on the bandwagon to announce the Pocket S. An accompanying blog post confirms that it will be powered by the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2, while also sharing a few renders of what the Pocket S will look like.
Unfortunately, the company stopped short of sharing when we could expect to see the Pocket S actually released. But it will be interesting to see if more options are announced in the coming weeks/months, as the gaming handheld market gains even more traction.
