Galaxy S24 Ultra’s powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip goes official

A few months ago, Qualcomm launched the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor for high-end smartphones and tablets. Today, the company announced a slightly modified version of the same chip, and it's called the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 For Galaxy. It is used in the Galaxy S24 series that was announced a few minutes ago at the Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event.

Similar to last year, the Galaxy version of the Snapdragon chip is clocked slightly higher than the stock version. Unlike last year, though, only the Galaxy S24 Ultra uses it worldwide, while the two other phones in the lineup use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 only in a few countries.

Galaxy S24 Ultra exclusively uses Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 For Galaxy processor

As a part of Qualcomm's strategic partnership with Samsung, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 For Galaxy processor has been tailor-made for the Galaxy S24 series. The Galaxy S24 and the Galaxy S24+ use the chip in Canada and the US, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra uses it worldwide. It is a 4nm chip made using TSMC's newer 4nm process (N4P) and features eight CPU cores, the Adreno 750 GPU, a more powerful NPU, and faster wireless connectivity. Thanks to that powerful NPU, the chip offers enough oomph to power Generative AI and personalized AI features on the Galaxy S24 series.

While Qualcomm and Samsung haven't revealed the exact clock speeds of the CPU cores and the GPU, those details were leaked a few days ago. You can see the differences between their specs in the comparison table below. Its lone Cortex-X4 CPU core is clocked at 3.39GHz (90MHz higher than stock Snapdragon 8 Gen 3), while three Cortex-A720 CPU cores are clocked at 3.1GHz (50MHz lower) and two Cortex-A720 CPU cores are clocked at 2.9GHz (50MHz lower). It also features two Cortex-A720 CPU cores that are clocked at 2.2GHz (70MHz lower). It isn't clear if the GPU clock speed on the new chip is higher than the stock Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor.

Chris Patrick, SVP and General Manager of the Mobile Handset division at Qualcomm, said, “We’re proud to continue working alongside Samsung to lead this new era for the mobile industry and provide consumers with extraordinary premium experiences. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy instills its advanced AI capabilities in the Galaxy S24 series to enable new experiences with AI features to empower users’ everyday lives. It also fuels advanced professional-quality cameras, gaming experiences, and ultra-fast connectivity, including Wi-Fi 7. Plus, it offers one of the most reliable authentication solutions available with our Qualcomm 3D Sonic Gen 2 technology.”

Inkang Song, VP & Head of Technology Strategy team at Samsung Mobile, said, “Our strategic partnership with Qualcomm Technologies spans more than two decades, which speaks volumes to our strong relationship. They are at the forefront of the mobile industry, and now of on-device intelligence – the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy sets the bar for premium mobile and Gen AI experiences. With the flagship Galaxy S24 series, Qualcomm and Samsung will provide consumers with the most premium and advanced mobile experiences to date, with Galaxy AI.”