Qualcomm introduced the next steps with the launch of their Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile SoC on the first day of the 2023 Snapdragon Summit last week.
Qualcomm has revealed its new top-end mobile processor that will power the next wave of Android flagships in 2024. But this time around, the focus is not just on raw performance and camera enhancements. Instead, Qualcomm is turning its attention to generative AI and bringing it to smartphone users with an on-device approach.
This latest mobile SoC is purpose-built for on-device generative AI. Qualcomm previously demonstrated an approximately 1 billion parameter Stable Diffusion text-to-image generative AI (genAI) model running on its earlier generation mobile SoC. This latest iteration supports genAI models with over 10 billion parameters on phones and over 13 billion parameters on PCs. Along with model size, one other metric of note is how quickly the device can return outputs from those models. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 delivers 15-30 tokens per second depending on the model and generates images in less than one second.
At the heart of Qualcomm’s latest mobile processor is the next-gen Kryo core based on Arm’s Cortex-X4 that offers a clock speed of up to 3.3 GHz. It is claimed to be 30% faster than its predecessor while also being 20% more frugal at power intake.
From smart to genius
The aforementioned capabilities are enabled by leveraging generational improvements in Qualcomm’s latest AI Engine and AI Stack.
The AI Engine in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 consists of the latest Adreno GPU, Kryo CPU, Hexagon neural processing unit (NPU), Sensing Hub and supporting memory architecture, which according to Qualcomm delivers up to 98% faster performance while also improving power efficiency by 40% over the previous generation.
The GPU has been upgraded to not only enable real-time hardware-accelerated ray tracing but now provides global illumination support, as well as various gaming and hardware-accelerated image and video encoding/decoding enhancements.
More camera tricks
On the imaging side, support for DCG image sensors for computational HDR upscaling, night mode for video recording, and compatibility with standalone T0F (Time of Flight) sensors for detailed depth mapping also come to life courtesy of Qualcomm’s latest silicon. Dolby HDR photo capture is also here, which means compared to 8-bit JPEG shots that only depict around 16.7 million colors, you will get 10-bit depth in photos that can reproduce over a billion color shades.
For video recording enthusiasts, Qualcomm’s latest flagship brings support for 8K HDR and 4K 120fps recording. Slo-mo video capture at 960fps is also on the table, alongside 12-layer multimedia segmentation for more control over editing and an enhanced bokeh detailing system in videos. The most impressive of all, however, is night mode video capture at 4K 60fps.
The connectivity suite is led by the Snapdragon X75 5G modem and the FastConnect 7800 system, bringing Wi-Fi 7 and 5G Advanced-ready to devices. On the display front, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 ups the ante by introducing external display support for 8K panels and screens that refresh at 240Hz.
Leaning into the AI phone future
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, following in the footsteps of Google’s Tensor G3, is a sign of many tantalizing AI tricks to come, especially those that have so far remained exclusive to Google’s Pixel phones or hidden behind paywalls in professional desktop-grade editing apps. Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 will allow users to remove undesirable objects from videos. Additionally, it leverages Stable Diffusion’s generative AI tricks to let users switch the background in their images.
Another example is visual object removal. While this feature—which allows users to remove unwanted objects—had been available in previous Snapdragon 8 generations for pictures, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 can now remove objects from video.
Qualcomm says that the first Android phones with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 are “expected to be available in the coming weeks.” It’s likely we’ll see some phones with the Gen 3 chip before the end of the year, but the vast majority of phones with the processor should be launching throughout 2024.
Sources: eetimes.com; digitaltrends.com