- Qualcomm launches Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 SoC without much on funfare.
- Turns out it is a rebranded version of 2021 Snapdragon 695 repackaged to be sold as new.
- It has identical to Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 and SD6 Gen 1 SoC as well.
Amidst the upcoming flagship chipset, Qualcomm silently launched Snapdragon 6s Gen 3, its latest mid-range SoC. Bearing model number SM6375, the same Snapdragon 695 SoC launched in 2021, this is a repackaged and loosely overclocked version probably to give it a 2024-ish feel.
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Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 Debuts For Mid-range 5G Phones
Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 is here as a rebranded Snapdragon 695. It would be mistaken if you think the chipset is a successor to the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC so bear that.
Talking about the specifications, this Qualcomm chipset brings a single Kryo CPU clocked at up to 2.3GHz offering a miniscule 4.5% increment over Snapdragon 695’s specs. That’s why we called it ‘loosely overclocked’ since this miniscule change wouldn’t translate into better performance anyway.
The chipset doesn’t mention any specific Adreno GPU model, however, we are already certain that it is an Adreno 619 GPU as per the previous benchmark leaks. Moving on, we have Snapdragon X51 5G Modem-RF onboard capable of supporting both mmWave and Sub-6 5G GHz frequencies. There’s Quick Charge 4+ technology support, triple 12-bit ISPs, 2×2 Wi-Fi 6 with Qualcomm FastConnect 6200 System as well.
As usual, Qualcomm launched it and son, we will see a tonne of mid-range phones arriving sporting this very chipset. However, Qualcomm hasn’t changed much with the new chipset and rather ended up in a rebranding game much akin to MediaTek, its biggest competitor.
Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 is not surely an upgrade
I understand that simply saying the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 is not somewhat of an upgrade doesn’t go well with most of our readers as they want substantial proof, right?
On the specs side, we found SD6s Gen3 to have close similarities with SD695, SD4Gen1, and SD6Gen1. The first three chipsets are fabbed on a 6nm TSMC process, there’s up to Adreno 619 GPU, LDDR4X, and UFS 2.2 storage leaving only SD6 Gen1 with slight differences.
The first three chipsets support 108MP photo capture, 32MP with single cam and ZDL, and finally, a 25+13MP dual setup with ZSL and a 13MP triple cam with ZSL. The 5G modem is ultimately the same as Snapdragon X51 5G and the connectivity is identical as well.
So, what does that mean for an end user? When you go out buying a phone powered by Snapdragon 6s Gen 3, it’s safe to assume that you will get a recently launched chipset on-board. However, indeed you are using a 2021’ Snapdragon 695 SoC that has been repackaged
Again, a 0.1 GHz increase in a prime core won’t make any difference in your usage. So year, Qualcomm is selling you a new chipset, and smartphone OEMs will integrate it and sell you a new phone. But in its purest form, you will be relying on an older chipset that has been beautified as a new one.
Qualcomm entered the rebranding and renaming game ever since it shifted its focus from naming chipsets as SD695 to SD6 Gen1 and since then, we have seen Snapdragon 4-series, 6-series, 7-series, and 8-series chipsets, each targeting their subset of users. From time to time, Qualcomm added ‘s’ to denote a lite version of the chipset instead of naming it as ‘lite’ setting it apart from the rivals.
