Qualcomm is expected to switch to its custom Oryon cores when it officially announces the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. A company executive claimed that the flagship SoC would be unveiled in October, making it the first silicon from the San Diego firm to transition to in-house CPU designs completely. However, this shift could cost Qualcomm’s partners a hefty sum, as one tipster claims that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will be expensive, and phone makers will have to evaluate the overall configuration of their devices to sell them at competitive prices.
Tipster also mentions that Snapdragon 8 Gen 4’s wafer price will also increase, likely referring to TSMC’s second-generation 3nm process
Like Apple’s M4 and possibly the A18 Pro, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 may utilize TSMC’s second-generation 3nm process, also known as ‘N3E.’ This would be the first time in history that the company will leverage any foundry’s 3nm technology, and while that will result in improvements in all areas, it will increase production costs. As stated by Digital Chat Station on Weibo, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4’s wafer price is rumored to increase, which would automatically affect how expensive the SoC will be.
However, this is not the first time that we have heard that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will be more expensive than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. On a previous occasion, Qualcomm’s Senior Vice President Chris Patrick hinted that the silicon’s price would be raised thanks to the adoption of in-house Oryon cores. In the latest rumor, the tipster cautions phone makers about their handsets’ overall configurations as that will result in a further price increase. Smartphones that fall in the price range of 3,000 yuan, or approximately $423, would be affected.
For those that do not know, Xiaomi introduced the K70 Pro last year, with the device being one of the most affordable Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 flagships ever introduced. However, even the Chinese firm would face difficulty pricing the K70 Pro’s successor at the exact figure if the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 becomes more costly. We have also reported that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 costs $200 for Qualcomm’s partners, making it an already pricey part, and its successor being more expensive can spell trouble for manufacturers as they may have to sacrifice their margins aggressively to get more shipments added to the annual total.
News Source: Digital Chat Station
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