What you need to know
- A new rumor claims the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will use a unique layout.
- This SoC, codenamed Kailua, will be manufactured by TSMC on the 4nm process.
- According to the rumor, the SD8 Gen 2 will add a fourth type of CPU core.
It hasn't even been a month since the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 was announced, offering 10% faster speeds and 30% higher efficiency compared to its predecessor. And now, a new rumor claims that Qualcomm will mix things up with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
According to a Weibo post from Digital Chat Station (via GSMArena), Qualcomm's next flagship chipset will use four different CPU cores. The processor, codenamed 'Kailua,' is said to be manufactured by TSMC and will be built on the same 4nm process as the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.
What makes this rumor so odd is that the current generation of processors uses a total of three different CPU cores. With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, Qualcomm is said to be using one Cortex-X3, two Cortex-A720, two Cortex-A710, and three Cortex-A510 cores. This differs from the current 1+3+4 configuration, with a single Cortex-X2, three Cortex-A710, and four Cortex-A510 cores.
From a GPU perspective, details are more scarce, other than the likelihood that Qualcomm will implement the Adreno 740, which likely uses the same architecture as the 730 that is found in many phones today.
It's unclear how this new design will compare to the current one or how it will affect performance, given that the Cortex-X3 and Cortex-A720 are yet to be announced. However, GSMArena points out that these new chips were previously teased by ARM, promising a 30% increase in performance. If this rumor comes to fruition, it could be the first mobile chipset to use four different types of cores. However, we'll likely have to wait until the end of the year to learn more.
Until then, the newly announced Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is expected to arrive in upcoming phones such as the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4, along with other Android phones arriving in the second half of this year.
There's a lot of time left between now and the expected announcement of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. And hopefully, this means that we'll learn more about Qualcomm's next-gen mobile chipset and what it's capable of in the time leading to the launch.
