New Android phones could be more powerful than iPhone 14 Pro, leak suggests

Next-gen silicon is on the way

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Many flagship Android phones of 2022 have been usingQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1chipsets (or the Plus upgrade), and the rumor is that its successor could be out before the end of the year – bringing a significant performance upgrade along with it.

This is according to reliable tipsterDigital Chat Station(viaAndroid Central), who says that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will come with an “ultra-high frequency version” that’s capable of clock speeds of up to 3.4-3.5 GHz (compared with the 3.2 GHz we have today).

There will be bigger performance boosts in terms of the graphics capabilities however – boosts that may take graphics performance above anything that theAppleA16 Bionic chip in the newiPhone 14 Proand theiPhone 14 Pro Maxcan offer.

More to come in November

Considering the very high levels of performance offered by the A16 Bionic chip, the claim that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 could do even better – in certain phone tasks at least – is definitely a bold one, and one that we can’t verify right now.

Bear in mind that smartphone performance is down to multiple factors, not just the raw speed of the chipset running everything. The efficiency of the software coding, the amount of available RAM, and thermal management all play important roles too.

One strength that Apple leans on heavily when talking up its speeds is the fact it’s in charge of the whole software and hardware design process, not relying on third-party chip makers.

Qualcomm has a Snapdragon Summit set for November 15-17, at which we’re expecting to hear all about the next-gen chipset and what it’s capable of. We should then have a much better idea of how it will affect speeds on the Android flagships of 2023.

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Analysis: which phones will get the upgrade?

While many phone users won’t be aware of the model of chipset that’s inside their handsets, most of us care about how fast or otherwise our smartphones are – and that’s why the arrival of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is going to be significant.

A quick glance at the phones running the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 offers some hints about which devices might get its successor: theSamsung Galaxy S22, theSamsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, theXiaomi 12 Pro, theOnePlus 10 Pro, theSony Xperia 1 IVand more besides.

One of the first in line for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 could be theOnePlus 11. We’re expecting to see the phone make its appearance in the first few months of 2023, with top-tier specs to match the high-end Qualcomm processor.

TheSamsung Galaxy S23should also be out before too long once we’re into 2023. The rumor isthat all regionswill be getting a Snapdragon-powered version of the phone, and that chipset should be the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

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