The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 leads the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 in the available aggregate CPU, GPU, and overall benchmark results, and Qualcomm specifies a higher peak CPU clock, Wi-Fi 7, and an X70 modem for the 8s. The 7s Gen 3 is aimed at more affordable mid-tier phones. These chipset-level differences indicate the 8s has the stronger peak-performance profile, but they do not determine which phone is the better buy: cooling, battery, camera hardware, software, connectivity, and price matter too.
How the two chips compare at a glance
| Specification | Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 | Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Process | 4 nm (Qualcomm product brief) | 4 nm (Qualcomm product brief) |
| CPU configuration | 1 prime core up to 3.0 GHz, 4 performance cores up to 2.8 GHz, 3 efficiency cores up to 2.0 GHz (Qualcomm product brief) | Qualcomm specifies peak speed up to 2.5 GHz; NanoReview lists 1 prime core up to 2.5 GHz, 3 performance cores up to 2.4 GHz, and 4 efficiency cores up to 1.8 GHz |
| Graphics | Adreno graphics; NanoReview identifies Adreno 735. Qualcomm lists hardware-accelerated ray tracing and gaming features. | Adreno graphics; NanoReview identifies Adreno 810. Do not infer relative speed from the model number alone. |
| Memory support | LPDDR5X, up to 4200 MHz and 67.2 GB/s (NanoReview) | LPDDR5, up to 3200 MHz and 25.6 GB/s (NanoReview) |
| Wi-Fi and modem | Wi-Fi 7 and Snapdragon X70; platform peak downlink up to 6.5 Gbps (Qualcomm product brief) | Wi-Fi 6E/6; platform peak downlink up to 2.9 Gbps (Qualcomm product brief) |
| Imaging capabilities | Up to 200 MP photo capture and 4K HDR capture up to 60 fps (Qualcomm product brief) | Up to 200 MP photography and 4K HDR video (Qualcomm product material) |
These are platform capabilities, not a promise that every phone implements them. A handset maker chooses memory configuration, cameras, recording modes, connectivity features, and other components. Carrier performance also depends on the phone’s supported bands and the network.
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Benchmark results: the 8s Gen 3 leads, with important limits
NanoReview’s live comparison, accessed October 7, 2026, reports the aggregate results below. The figures combine results from different phones rather than a controlled test of both chips in identical hardware.
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| Benchmark | Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 | Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 | Reported sample or caveat |
|---|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu 11 total | 1,797,821 | 1,041,899 | NanoReview lists 287 tests for the 8s and 140 for the 7s |
| Geekbench 6 single-core | 1,923 | 1,161 | Aggregate results; device setup can vary |
| Geekbench 6 multi-core | 5,179 | 3,390 | NanoReview lists 64 tests for the 8s and 14 for the 7s |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad Light | 1,033 | 379 | NanoReview lists 90% stability for the 8s; it does not state a 7s stability value |
| PCMark 3.0 | 15,526 | 13,160 | NanoReview lists results from 14 phone models for the 8s and 8 for the 7s |
Across these reported aggregates, the 8s Gen 3 scores higher in every listed test, with a particularly wide gap in the graphics-focused 3DMark result. AnTuTu’s reported component scores also favor the 8s: CPU 556,525 versus 405,718; GPU 503,679 versus 179,932; memory 307,418 versus 193,010; and UX 430,199 versus 263,239.
#1 Best Overall
- Ultra-high Performance Chipset: This cell phone is equipped with a powerful and efficient Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chip, using 4nm technology and a full-core 3.2GHz CPU, supporting 24GB LPDDR5X memory + UFS 4.0 flash memory, and equipped with an AI engine, with comprehensive performance upgrades.
- Revolutionary 50MP Quad Camera System: This smartphone is equipped with All 50MP four camera system: Including a Main Camera, a Periscope, an Ultra-wide Camera, and a ultra-clear Front Camera; this cell phone support Ultra XDR 4K video, Auto Tone, Portrait Optimiser, Motion Capture Mode, Night Mode; Whether you're a photographer, vlogger, or social media enthusiast, with the pro-grade camera system and AI enhancements, this Nothing phone can ensure every shot is masterpiece-ready.
- One-Touch Control, AI-Powered Organization：ESSENTIAL KEY: A new button on the side of your device.Press once to capture your screen, long-press to record voice and ideas, and double-press to access Essential Space; ESSENTIAL SPACE: Everything in one place, organised the way you want it to be，AI mobile phones helps organise your captures, generating suggestions, and staying on top of what matters; Explore more AI features, Let AI enrich your life
- GLYPH INTERFACE: Where Light Speaks; The Glyph Matrix transforms your phone into an interactive playground—smart animations turn notifications, tools, and games into living light experiences; NFC: An animation comes to life when NFC is triggered; Glyph Button: Quick-tap to browse Glyph Toys, long-press to launch—from utilities to games; Smarter Alerts: Notifications now speak in light and sound, blending visuals with meaning; Beyond illumination; This is interaction, redefined.
- Larger and Brighter FHD Display: 6.67" FHD+ 1.5K AMOLED flex screen with 1.07B colors & 120Hz adaptive refresh for ultra-smooth visuals; Vs Nothing Phone (2)/(3a): Phone (3) boasts 181.2% brighter (4500 nits), 16.7% sharper (460 PPI), and 316% faster touch response (1000Hz); IP68-rated—tough enough for any adventure.
These figures show the direction of the comparison, not a guaranteed score for a phone you might buy. Cooling, firmware, benchmark version, power settings, and test conditions affect results. The cited comparison does not establish a controlled head-to-head run using identical phone hardware.
What the specification differences mean in use
CPU responsiveness and demanding workloads
The 8s Gen 3 has a higher specified peak CPU clock and more performance cores in the configuration listed by Qualcomm and NanoReview. That is consistent with its higher aggregate Geekbench results. The numbers alone do not predict how quickly every app will open or how well a particular phone performs under sustained load; device tuning and thermal behavior also matter.
Rank #2
- Ultra-high Performance Chipset: This cell phone is equipped with a powerful and efficient Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chip, using 4nm technology and a full-core 3.2GHz CPU, supporting 24GB LPDDR5X memory + UFS 4.0 flash memory, and equipped with an AI engine, with comprehensive performance upgrades.
- Revolutionary 50MP Quad Camera System: This smartphone is equipped with All 50MP four camera system: Including a Main Camera, a Periscope, an Ultra-wide Camera, and a ultra-clear Front Camera; this cell phone support Ultra XDR 4K video, Auto Tone, Portrait Optimiser, Motion Capture Mode, Night Mode; Whether you're a photographer, vlogger, or social media enthusiast, with the pro-grade camera system and AI enhancements, this Nothing phone can ensure every shot is masterpiece-ready.
- One-Touch Control, AI-Powered Organization：ESSENTIAL KEY: A new button on the side of your device.Press once to capture your screen, long-press to record voice and ideas, and double-press to access Essential Space; ESSENTIAL SPACE: Everything in one place, organised the way you want it to be，AI mobile phones helps organise your captures, generating suggestions, and staying on top of what matters; Explore more AI features, Let AI enrich your life
- GLYPH INTERFACE: Where Light Speaks; The Glyph Matrix transforms your phone into an interactive playground—smart animations turn notifications, tools, and games into living light experiences; NFC: An animation comes to life when NFC is triggered; Glyph Button: Quick-tap to browse Glyph Toys, long-press to launch—from utilities to games; Smarter Alerts: Notifications now speak in light and sound, blending visuals with meaning; Beyond illumination; This is interaction, redefined.
- Larger and Brighter FHD Display: 6.67" FHD+ 1.5K AMOLED flex screen with 1.07B colors & 120Hz adaptive refresh for ultra-smooth visuals; Vs Nothing Phone (2)/(3a): Phone (3) boasts 181.2% brighter (4500 nits), 16.7% sharper (460 PPI), and 316% faster touch response (1000Hz); IP68-rated—tough enough for any adventure.
Gaming and graphics
The benchmark aggregates favor the 8s Gen 3 in graphics performance, while Qualcomm’s 8s brief specifically lists hardware-accelerated ray tracing and gaming features. Both platforms use Adreno graphics, but the Adreno model numbers are not a reliable substitute for actual performance results. For long gaming sessions, look for testing of the specific phone’s sustained performance and heat, rather than relying only on a brief peak score.
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NanoReview lists LPDDR5X support with higher stated memory speed and bandwidth for the 8s, compared with LPDDR5 for the 7s. A phone’s actual RAM type, capacity, and configuration depend on its manufacturer. Check the handset specifications rather than assuming every device uses the platform maximum.
Rank #3
- For USA Buyers: This Smartphone is not compatible/will not work with any CDMA Networks including: VERIZON, SPRINT, US CELLULAR. Please check with your network provider for 3G or 4G/LTE compatibility check before you purchase.
- Dual-SIM, Network Compatibility, SIM CARD 1 & 2 : [2G : GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 and/or 3G : HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 and/or 4G : FDD-LTE 700(B12) / 700(B13) / 700(B17) / 700(B28) / 800(B20) / 850(B5) / 850(B18) / 850(B19) / 850(B26) / 900(B8) / 1700|2100(B4) / 1800(B3) / 1900(B2) / 2100(B1) / 2600(B7) TDD-LTE 1900(B39) / 2100(B66) / 2300(B40) / 2500(B41) / 2600(B38) and/or 5G : N1 / N3 / N5 / N7 / N8 / N20 / N28 / N38 / N40 / N41 / N66 / N77 / N78 SA/NSA]
- 6.78 inches, LTPO AMOLED, 1B colors, 1264 x 2780 pixels, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
- 256GB ROM Storage, 12GB RAM
- Android 14, Realme UI 5.0, Qualcomm SM8635 Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (4 nm), Octa-core (1x3.0 GHz Cortex-X4 & 4x2.8 GHz Cortex-A720 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A520), Adreno 735
Connectivity
Qualcomm specifies Wi-Fi 7 and an X70 modem for the 8s Gen 3, while the 7s Gen 3 brief lists Wi-Fi 6E/6. The cited peak downlink figures—up to 6.5 Gbps for the 8s platform and up to 2.9 Gbps for the 7s—are platform ceilings, not real-world speed guarantees. Regional band support, carrier compatibility, network conditions, and the phone’s implementation determine what is available to you.
Cameras
Both platforms are described as supporting up to 200 MP photography and 4K HDR video. Qualcomm’s 8s brief specifies 4K HDR capture up to 60 fps; the cited 7s material describes 4K HDR video without establishing that same frame-rate figure. Sensor size, lenses, image processing, and the recording modes a manufacturer enables shape the finished camera experience more than a headline megapixel ceiling.
Rank #4
- 6.78 inches, OLED, 1B , 1224 x 2700 pixels
- 512GB Storage, 12GB RAM
- Android 14, Qualcomm SM8635 Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (4 nm), Octa-core (1x3.0 GHz Cortex-X4 & 4x2.8 GHz Cortex-A720 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A520)
- Rear: 50 MP, f/1.9, (wide), 1/1.3", 1.2µm, PDAF, OIS, 50 MP, f/2.4, (telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 2.5x optical zoom, 12 MP, f/2.2, 112˚ (ultrawide), AF, Front: 50 MP, f/2.1, (wide), 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
- Dual SIM (SIM + ESIM)
Positioning and Qualcomm’s 7s Gen 3 claims
Qualcomm positions the 7s Gen 3 for more affordable mid-tier smartphones. Its performance improvement claims are against the previous Snapdragon 7s Gen 2—not against the 8s Gen 3. Qualcomm says the 7s Gen 3 provides nearly 20% improved CPU performance, up to 40% accelerated GPU performance, over 30% better AI performance, and 12% overall power savings versus the 7s Gen 2. These are Qualcomm’s claims with that stated baseline, not independent results comparing the two chips in this article.
How to choose between phones using these chips
The chipset comparison points to the 8s Gen 3 for stronger peak performance in the reported aggregates. It cannot identify the best handset on its own. When comparing actual models, check the following:
Quick Recap
- Long-session performance: Look for sustained gaming or workload behavior and thermal testing on the exact phone.
- Battery and charging: Compare capacity and charging support; neither is settled by the chipset name.
- Camera implementation: Compare sensors, lenses, stabilization, and supported video modes, not only maximum megapixels.
- Connectivity: Confirm the phone supports the bands and network features required in your region and with your carrier.
- Display, memory, and storage: Compare the actual panel, RAM configuration, and storage capacity.
- Software and price: Consider update support and the price of the finished phone. No specific handset is established as the best purchase from this chipset comparison alone.
Sources
- Qualcomm, Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 Mobile Platform Product Brief (2024)
- Qualcomm, Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 Mobile Platform Product Brief (2024)
- Qualcomm, Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 Brings Remarkable AI Experiences to More Affordable Smartphones (August 20, 2024)
- NanoReview, Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs Snapdragon 7s Gen 3: tests and benchmarks (accessed October 7, 2026)
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
