Smartphone processors are getting more and more power efficient. But the demand for computing power is also increasing at a rapid pace. As SoC manufacturers like Qualcomm and MediaTek are aiming to increase their performance, the power consumption is also increasing even with the latest and more efficient process nodes.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 may require larger batteries
Previous rumors hinted at a performance leap for the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 flagship chipset. Now the latest news comes from Weibo tipster Digital Chat Station. According to him, Qualcomm may face problems in managing the power efficiency of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. As a result, Smartphone manufacturers may opt for even higher battery capacity to compensate for a higher power consumption. But it will also come with certain compromises to the user experience. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 could arrive in October during the Snapdragon Summit.
Notably, this upcoming chip utilizes TSMC’s improved 3nm N3E process node. While theoretically, it means lower power consumption than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 which is based on TSMC’s 4nm process, we should also consider the change in core clusters and their clock speeds.
Qualcomm’s chief marketing officer, Don McGuire has confirmed that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset will use Qualcomm’s Oryon CPU. Rumors suggest that the chipset lacks efficiency cores and features a configuration of “2+6” performance-focused Oryon cores.
For those unfamiliar, the company’s upcoming Snapdragon X Elite chip for Windows-on-Arm also utilizes the Oryon CPU cores. Although he didn’t confirm much about the core cluster of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, previous rumors suggest that the company was testing the chipset with a clock speed as high as 4.3 GHz. For context, the Cortex-X 4 super core of last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset reaches a significantly lower 3.3GHz clock speed. A higher clock speed also means a higher power consumption.
Three phones with 5500 mAh batteries were being tested with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4
The tipster Digital Char Station notes that three phones were being tested with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 to check and manage the performance and power efficiency. Reportedly all three devices boast a bigger 5500 mAh battery. Previously the OnePlus 13 was rumored to be the first flagship to equip the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4.
Since the OnePlus 12 also comes with a 5500 mAh battery, it won’t be a surprise to see the same on its successor. Nonetheless, as the tipster suggests, smartphone manufacturers may opt for high-density batteries with customized core materials for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4-powered flagships. It should help the flagships remain slimmer.