Snapdragon 8s Gen 3: is it better than 8 Gen 3, what’s the difference?

So, let’s track some scores compared to a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. We picked results from OnePlus phones — they seem like a good middle-of-the-road choice. Samsung phones have that “For Galaxy” tuning, and ROG Phones have superb thermal control inside. But, feel free to use the drop-down menu below the table to add any phone of your choice to compare to.

So, the numbers don’t lie — in CPU power, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is somewhere between 8 Gen 3 and 8 Gen 2, regrettably closer to the latter. When 3D testing kicks in, it falls below the 8 Gen 2’s power. However, it’s worth taking a look at the 3DMark Highest and Lowest scores — this is a test designed to stress the phone and force it to throttle.

Since the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 doesn’t have that much headroom, it also does not lose much steam when throttling down — not comparatively. The more powerful processors kick off with much higher scores, but also shave off a lot when throttling.

What is the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 made for?

As we’ve already seen from the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra — it’s a perfect choice for more budget-friendly flagships. It won’t wow you with incredible peak power, but it’s stable and solid throughout, and definitely offers an upper-tier punch.

Well… that’s potentially there — depends on how manufacturers straddle it. The upgrades are honestly minor, but they can still give modern budget phones slightly more headroom, a bit of an advantage over a flagship from yesteryear (or two).