Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 is all about artificial intelligence on the device

Qualcomm, one of the leading smartphone chipmakers that powers Android smartphones, is rolling out the next version of its mid-range processor, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3. Like its higher-end sibling chip, the 7 series includes more support for on-device AI processing, updated graphics processing, and improved camera and audio performance. The first device to ship with the new chip will debut overseas.

As generative AI becomes increasingly appealing to smartphone users, Qualcomm is focusing its efforts on highlighting how its chips can keep up. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 is part of the “s” segment of releases, Which contains a little hurricane in its performance. Qualcomm promises almost a 20% improvement in processor performance over the previous generation and up to 30% better AI processing. It definitely helped thanks to support for commonly used large language models on the device. The LLMs mentioned in Qualcomm’s press release include the Baichuan-7B, a Chinese competitor to OpenAI’s GPT models, which is likely why Xiaomi will be the first manufacturer to debut this chip overseas. Xiaomi is among top five smartphone suppliers in China and related markets. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 will also support Meta’s LlaMa 2 on-device, which will help with AI features in the company’s social media apps and third-party apps like Buzzthat use them in in-app tools such as transcripts.

The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 promises improved graphics processing with a new Adreno GPU that boasts a whopping 40% performance improvement. It supports the new Vulkan 1.3 API and widescreen Full HD displays with a refresh rate of up to 144Hz. Camera smartphones at this price point could feature sensors up to 200MP and support video recording at up to 4K HDR.

Most smartphones powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon hardware will cost between $200 and $500. That will be beneficial for bringing AI to more users around the world. In the U.S., phones at that price are offered for free or with subsidies on most carriers and MVNOs. It will be interesting to see if Samsung, one of the brands expected to adopt the chip, brings any of its Galaxy AIs to the lower-end market. Either way, the industry has gone all-in on AI-in-everything, and it won’t be limited to the most expensive phones.

As I mentioned, Xiaomi will be the first smartphone maker to debut the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 at its next big launch next month. Samsung and Realme, another brand that’s doing well overseas, will both release phones with the new chip.