Expanded Release: Next-Generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Boosts Android Phone Performance

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powers many of Android-powered flagship smartphones released in 2023, but Qualcomm made an overclocked version of the chip only for Samsung smartphones . Now, though, it’s looking like that Samsung-only chip might not stay Samsung-only for long.

Nubia, a Chinese smartphone manufacturer that also owns the gaming smartphone brand Redmagic, has released a teaser confirming that its next phone, the Redmagic 8S Pro, would come equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 “Leading Version.” This has the same exact clock speed as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, the chip that powers the Galaxy S23 range of smartphones, so it’s safe to assume that it’s the exact same silicon.

Nubia / Weibo

We don’t know if “Leading Version” will be the branding that Qualcomm will use for this chip in other markets — this is a teaser for a phone aimed at the Chinese market, after all. It might just be launched as the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2. But this move isn’t entirely surprising.

Samsung likely signed a deal with Qualcomm that made the chip exclusive to the Korean company for a few months without it interrupting Qualcomm’s regular release schedule — after all, Qualcomm has been releasing overclocked “plus” versions of its chips as a mid-cycle release for years now.

We’ll have to see if more smartphones pop up with this chip, and whether any of them are headed towards the US market.

Source: Weibo (in Chinese)

Via: Android Authority

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