Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is making headlines for packing a powerful CPU and GPU while bringing a host of improvements. In fact, in our Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and A16 Bionic benchmark comparison, we found that the Adreno 740 GPU has outranked Apple’s 5-core GPU. And that’s not all. Starting with the Vivo X90 Pro+ releasing tomorrow, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phones are ready to take on the iPhone 14 Pro series. But in this article, we compare Qualcomm’s last-gen 8 Gen 1 chipsets against its new flagship processor. We have done a benchmark comparison between Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs 8+ Gen 1 vs 8 Gen 1 and shared the findings comprehensively. On that note, let’s jump straight to the comparison.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs 8+ Gen 1 vs 8 Gen 1: Benchmarked (2022)
We have done an in-depth benchmark comparison between Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 8+ Gen 1, and 8 Gen 1. From Geekbench to AnTuTu and 3DMark, we have performed all the popular benchmark tests.
Note: The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 has been tested on a prototype device provided by Qualcomm. And to test the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, we have used OnePlus 10T, while the Motorola Edge 30 Pro was used as the test device to benchmark Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs 8+ Gen 1 vs 8 Gen 1: Specs Comparison
Before we begin, go through the detailed specs sheet of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 8+ Gen 1, and 8 Gen 1. You can quickly compare and find the core differences between the three processors.
| Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core, Kryo CPU | Octa-core, Kryo CPU | Octa-core, Kryo CPU |
| CPU Cores | 1x 3.2GHz (Cortex-X3) 2x 2.8GHz (Cortex-A715) 2x 2.8GHz (Cortex-A710) 3x 2.0GHz (Cortex-A510) | 1x 3.2GHz (Cortex-X2) 3x 2.5GHz (Cortex-A710) 4x 1.8GHz (Cortex-A510) | 1x 3.0GHz (Cortex-X2) 3x 2.5GHz (Cortex-A710) 4x 1.8GHz (Cortex-A510) |
| Process Technology | TSMC's 4nm process (Most likely) | TSMC’s 4nm | Samsung’s 4nm |
| Cache Size | 1 MB L2 cache 8 MB L3 cache | 1 MB L2 cache 6 MB L3 cache | 1 MB L2 cache 6 MB L3 cache |
| GPU | Adreno 740; Hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing | Adreno 730; Snapdragon Elite Gaming | Adreno 730; Snapdragon Elite Gaming |
| Memory | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5 | LPDDR5 |
| Machine Learning and AI | New AI Engine, Hexagon Processor | 7th-gen AI Engine; 3rd Gen Sensing Hub; 27TOPS | 7th-gen AI Engine; 3rd Gen Sensing Hub; 27TOPS |
| ISP | Triple 18-Bit Spectra ISP; Cognitive ISP, Snapdragon Sight | Triple 18-Bit ISP; Snapdragon Sight | Triple 18-Bit ISP; Snapdragon Sight |
| Camera Capability | Capture photos up to 200MP, 36MP triple shots with ZSL | 3.2 Gigapixels per second, 240 12MP photos in one second | 3.2 Gigapixels per second, 240 12MP photos in one second |
| Video Capability | 8K HDR, Bokeh Engine 2 | 8K HDR, 18-bit RAW, Dedicated Bokeh Engine | 8K HDR, 18-bit RAW, Dedicated Bokeh Engine |
| Modem | Snapdragon X70 5G modem Up to 10 Gbps Peak Download Up to 3.5 Gbps Peak Upload | Snapdragon X65 5G modem Up to 10 Gbps Peak Download Up to 3.5 Gbps Peak Upload | Snapdragon X65 5G modem Up to 10 Gbps Peak Download Up to 3.5 Gbps Peak Upload |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3, LE Audio, Dual Bluetooth Antenna, aptX Lossless | Bluetooth 5.3, LE Audio, Dual Bluetooth Antenna, aptX Lossless | Bluetooth 5.2, LE Audio, Dual Bluetooth Antenna, aptX Lossless |
| Others | AV1 Codec Support NavIC Support | No AV1 Codec Support NavIC Support | No AV1 Codec Support NavIC Support |
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs 8+ Gen 1 vs 8 Gen 1: Geekbench Score
In this benchmark comparison between Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 8+ Gen 1, and 8 Gen 1, let’s begin with the Geekbench test. We performed the Geekbench test on the prototype device powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and it did an excellent job. The 8 Gen 2 scored 1,490 in the single-core test and 5,131 in the multi-core test. Now, this is the first time Qualcomm’s Kryo CPU cores have managed to cross the 5000-mark in multi-threaded tasks.
We also did the Geekbench test on the OnePlus 10T (with High-Performance mode enabled), powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, and it scored 1,334 in the single-core test and 3,877 in the multi-core Geekbench test. Similarly, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1-powered Moto Edge 30 Pro yielded a score of 1,196 and 3,655 in the Geekbench single-core and multi-core tests, respectively.
As you can observe, the single-core CPU on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is about 12% faster than Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and almost 25% more performative than Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. And if we talk about the multi-core scenario, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 has a lead of 30% over 8+ Gen 1 and a 40% headstart over 8 Gen 1.
The results are in line with Qualcomm’s estimation that we explained in our article on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Overall, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 has seen a nice YoY bump in single-core performance and a remarkable jump in multi-core performance over its predecessors.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs 8+ Gen 1 vs 8 Gen 1: AnTuTu Benchmark
Moving to the AnTuTu benchmark, the 8 Gen 2 again came on top conquering both the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and 8 Gen 1. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 scored a massive 1,276,749 points in the AnTuTu benchmark test, whereas the 8 Plus Gen 1 achieved a score of 1,020,140 and 8 Gen 1 remained at 950,289 points.
As you can gauge from the images above, there has been a considerable jump in the GPU and memory departments. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 supports LPDDR5X memory while both 8+ Gen 1 and 8 Gen 1 are compatible with the LPDDR5 memory standard, which is about 33% slower than the latest standard.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs 8+ Gen 1 vs 8 Gen 1: 3DMark Test
To test the mighty Adreno 740 GPU on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 against its older predecessors, we did the intensive 3DMark test. It scored 13,575 points and achieved 81.30 FPS in the 3DMark WildLife test. And in the WildLife Extreme test, it scored 3764 points and peaked at 22.50 FPS.
The Adreno 730 GPU on the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 maxed out in the 3DMark WildLife test due to reaching the vertical sync limit of 60FPS. However, in the more intensive 3DMark WildLife Extreme test, the 8+ Gen 1 scored 2,818 points and reached 16.90 FPS. Finally, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1’s GPU came last with a score of 7,357 and 44.10 FPS in the 3DMark WildLife test. And achieved a score of 1,820 points and 10.90 FPS in the 3DMark WildLife Extreme test.
To put things into perspective, the Adreno 740 GPU on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is about 34% faster than the 8 Plus Gen 1 and 44% better than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. That’s a massive lead the Adreno 740 GPU commands over its older chipsets.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs 8+ Gen 1 vs 8 Gen 1: GFXBench Test
Moving to another GPU-intensive GFXBench test, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 takes the lead over the 8+ Gen1 and 8 Gen 1 once again. In the GFXBench Manhattan 3.0 Offscreen 1080p test, the Adreno 740 GPU scored 332 FPS. And in the more intensive Aztec Ruins Offscreen 1080p (Normal Tier) test, 8 Gen 2 attained a score of 179 FPS.
On the other hand, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 scored 181 FPS in the Manhattan 3.0 Offscreen 1080p test. And 136 FPS in the Aztec Ruins Offscreen 1080p (Normal Tier) test. Finally, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 scored 151 FPS in the Manhattan 3.0 Offscreen 1080p test and 79 FPS in the Aztec Ruins Offscreen 1080p (Normal Tier) test.
Basically, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2’s GPU offers double the performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and gets a meaty upgrade over the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs 8+ Gen 1 vs 8 Gen 1: AITuTu Test
Finally, coming to the AI Benchmark test between Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 8+ Gen 1, and 8 Gen 1. We did a standard AITuTu test on all three processors, and here are the results. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2’s new AI engine scored 3,628,796 points in the AITuTu benchmark test.
In comparison, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 ranked a notch below with a score of 3,049,373. Finally, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 scored 1,186,166 in the AITuTu test. Overall, all three chipsets have powerful AI units, but the performance difference between 8Gen2 and 8+Gen1 is quite nominal in this regard. However, compared to the 8 Gen 1 from last year, the 8 Gen 2 offers over 3x improvement.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs 8+ Gen 1 vs 8 Gen 1 Performance Difference
So this is our holistic benchmark comparison between the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 8+ Gen 1, and 8 Gen 1. As is clear from the figures above, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is a massive upgrade over the 8 Gen 1 released last year. In the GPU department, we see a performance uplift of two times, which is just insane. And if we compare it to the previous-gen Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, there is a noteworthy improvement in all aspects.
Anyway, that is all from us. If you want to check out all the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 benchmark numbers, head to our detailed article. And to find the performance difference between Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and A16 Bionic, follow our linked article. Finally, if you have any questions, let us know in the comment section below.
Abubakar Mohammed
