Qualcomm is progressing with its Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4, which, by all accounts, could be the company’s Apple M2 competitor if it performs what rumors have suggested. According to an earlier development, the first sample prepped by the company operates at 3.00GHz, but the clock speed is lower compared to what was previously reported. Here are more details that will interest you.
Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4 is manufactured on TSMC’s 4nm process, but some details continue to elude
It is unclear if the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4 will feature the company’s custom Oryon cores that Qualcomm announced a while back to truly bring the competition to Apple. What we have heard is that this chipset will feature a 12-core CPU configuration, of which eight performance cores and four power-efficiency cores will exist. The update provided by @Za_Raczke states that the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4 is sampled on a lower clock speed of 3.00GHz.
Earlier, we reported a massive specifications leak provided by the same tipster, claiming that the eight performance cores will operate at 3.40GHz, while the power efficiency ones will run at 2.50GHz. It is possible Qualcomm sampled a Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4 running at a lower frequency because it wanted to observe how the chipset would behave while running in thin-and-light laptop chassis. These thinner designs tend to have smaller and less effective cooling capabilities.
The Engineering Sample 1 of 8cx Gen 4 has just sampled! The early sample runs at up to 3GHz on the CPU cores.
Qualcomm has also confirmed that it is manufactured using TSMC's 4nm process (at this time it is not clear if it's normal N4 or a different variant). https://t.co/dNmQY1bHtj
— kamila 🌸🏳️⚧️ (@Za_Raczke) February 4, 2023
If the first Snapdragon 8cx Gen 4 sample exceeds Qualcomm’s expectations in thermal management, perhaps we might see updated versions running at higher clock speeds. Additionally, the tipster has mentioned that this SoC is produced on TSMC’s 4nm process but does not specify if it is the N4 variant or a different one. He likely states this because Qualcomm will launch the chipset a little later than usual, so it is imperative that it is fabricated on a more advanced manufacturing process to give a little competition to Apple.
TSMC already announced the mass production of its 3nm chips last year, but Qualcomm is reportedly unsure if it wants to source future chip designs from the manufacturer due to high wafer prices. The San Diego chipmaker was earlier said to adopt a dual-sourcing approach, where Samsung would be one of its suppliers, but we have yet to hear an update on that. If there are any changes to the specifications or node changes, our readers will be the first to know.
News Source: @Za_Raczke
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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