Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 Announced: Small Gains, Big Ambitions

Qualcomm has unveiled its latest midrange chipset, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, but those hoping for a major performance leap will need to temper expectations. The new chip is a mild refresh of last year’s Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, keeping the same 1+3+4 Kryo CPU layout but with a slightly faster Prime Cortex-A720 core, now running at 2.7GHz instead of 2.5GHz.

Qualcomm claims this translates into a modest 7% CPU boost.

The GPU sees a similar incremental upgrade, with the updated Adreno promising a 7% performance gain and support for Snapdragon Elite Gaming features such as Adaptive Performance Engine 3.0 and Game Super Resolution. Gamers may also appreciate the added support for ultra-wide displays, handling resolutions up to 1,300 x 2,900 pixels at 144Hz.

On the imaging front, the new Spectra ISP supports cameras up to 200MP and 4K recording at 30fps, with HDR formats including HLG, HDR10, and HDR10+. AI capabilities also get a nudge forward thanks to an improved Hexagon NPU, which can handle Llama 1B, Qwen 1B, and even real-time translation tasks.

The chip pairs with LPDDR5 memory clocked at 3,200 MHz, UFS 3.1 storage, and Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 4+ standard. Connectivity includes 5G (sub-6GHz), Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.4, along with aptX Lossless and aptX Adaptive audio codecs for higher-quality wireless sound.

While the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 represents more of an evolutionary step than a breakthrough, it does set the stage for slightly more capable mid-tier smartphones. Qualcomm has not yet disclosed which devices will be the first to ship with the new processor.