Enhanced Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powers the Samsung Galaxy S23 series (smartphone)

A Samsung-enhanced version of Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powers the Samsung Galaxy S23 series enabling it to claim it has the fastest Snapdragon ever with up to 3.36GHz peak speeds and a GPU with improved performance and power efficiency.

In fact, Samsung even fabricates the 4nm chip for its use, and the rest of the world gets the standard TSMC-made System on a Chip (SoC). In theory, Samsung’s chip gives it bragging rights, but in practice, users will not see much difference from other phones using the 3.19GHz SD8 Gen 2.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Each year we see more speed, power, operations per second, AI capabilities, and more crammed into SoCs. The key to getting good performance is thermal management to reduce throttling under load – which OPPO did very well in the SD8 Gen 1 FindX5 Pro and Samsung did not. In the end, it was found that Samsung flagships are throttled – user discovery prompts action. We trust that is not the case with SD8 Gen 2.

The 3.36GHz SoC is pretty spectacular (compared to the SD8 Gen 1)

• 35% faster and 40% better power management than the SD8 Gen 1.
• 4.35X Faster AI performance.
• 60% INT4 performance-per-watt for sustained AI inferencing.
• 25% faster GPU.
• Spectra ISP can capture 200MP still images at 3.2 Gigapixels per second.
• 8K@60fps video and Dolby Vision decode
• Wi-Fi 7 support (when ACMA approved) up to 4.8Gbps full duplex.
• Dual BT 5.3 Tx/Rx chips and Qualcomm aptX codecs
• Dual-AI processors powering new experiences like direct-to-app voice assistance.
• Always-on and ultra-low power for audio, sensors and always-sensing camera.
• Real-time Semantic Segmentation for Photo and Video Capture recognises and optimises each aspect within a frame.
• Always-Sensing Camera featuring AI for quick and easy face detection and increased privacy.
• Bokeh Engine 2 provides professional sharpness, colour, and depth levels.
• Pro Sight Video Capture provides 5x larger file sizes for better quality footage and professional editing capabilities.
• Full suite of Snapdragon Elite Gaming features, including Real-time Hardware Accelerated Ray Tracing for improved lighting, shadows, and illumination.
• Game Post Processing Accelerator adds effects like bloom, depth of field, motion blur, and more – with up to 75% improved performance.
• Dual 5G+5G/4G DSDA both active SIMs and 2×2 MIMO for 5G low-band.
• Enhanced face unlock and ultrasonic fingerprint ID.

What does all that mean?

Fast, very fast and quicker than the 2022 SD8 Gen 1. The fundamental advances are in AI, which is used for Nightography, Photography, sensing, on-device translation and energy management.

It also means that the Samsung Galaxy S23 series – the first flagships of 2023 are hard to beat if you have the budget.