New Qualcomm Snapdragon processors could transform gaming handhelds
SnapdragonQualcomm has announced three new chipsets under the Snapdragon G3 lineup, promising potent power for upcoming gaming handhelds, phones, and more.
The demand for handheld consoles is at an all-time high. While many upcoming handheld consoles have the industry abuzz, chipset maker Qualcomm has unveiled the third generation of Snapdragon G Series mobile gaming chips.
These new processors, G1, G2, and G3x Gen 2, are a part of Snapdragon’s G series platform, designed to offer a cross-platform gaming experience using mobile devices like streaming handhelds, cloud gaming consoles, and fully-featured handhelds.
Snapdragon seems to be already working with brands like Ayaneo, Huaqin, Inventec, Thundercomm, and others to build devices using these chipsets.
Compact and more powerful consoles on the cards
Since these chipsets are designed to unite Snapdragon’s Elite Gaming technologies into a single dedicated unit, they are expected to offer a better mobile gaming experience.
Snapdragon claims that since these chipsets are optimized for gaming, they offer way better performance than a regular mobile SoC. Comparing the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 with the current flagship mobile chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the company states that the new SoC offers at least 30% better-sustained performance during back-to-back gameplay sessions.
Among the key benefits of these SoCs are faster wireless and cellular connectivity, FHD+ resolution at high-refresh-rate, and a more compact design.
Snapdragon G Series SoC specifications
| Snapdragon G1 Gen 1 | Snapdragon G2 Gen 1 | Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 | |
| GPU | Adreno A11 GPU | Adreno A21 GPU | Adreno A32 GPU |
| CPU | Kryo (8 Core) | Kryo (8 Core) | Kryo (8 Core) |
| Display | Full HD 60Hz | Full HD+ 144 Hz | Full HD+ 144 Hz |
| Cellular connectivity | NA | 5G | 5G |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 5 | Wi-Fi 6/6E | Wi-Fi 7 |
| Camera | NA | NA | Support for dual cameras |
| Connection Technology | Bluetooth 5 | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| USB Version | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
The Snapdragon G1 Gen 1 is designed to power handheld devices that do not require native processing heft. This makes it ideal for streaming via Moonlight, light emulation, or cloud gaming. It will allow gamers to relax on the sofa or a lounge while streaming games on a console with long battery life. It also supports content streaming in full HD resolution at 60Hz.
The G2 Gen 1 is a first-generation product offering 5G connectivity and faster Wi-Fi 5 connectivity thanks to Qualcomm’s FastConnect 6700 Mobile Connectivity System. It will support the Android operating system and be available on standalone gaming handsets and cloud gaming consoles.
Last but not least, the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 gaming platform is the flagship chipset and is a second-generation product. It offers a 30% faster CPU performance and features a GPU that is way more powerful than its successor.
Designed for flagship devices, the G3x Gen 2 has all of the features required to run AAA games with support for light ray tracing, XR tethering, game super-resolution, low latency Bluetooth connectivity, 5G, and Wi-Fi 7 for faster network connectivity. It’s likely that this chip will end up in high-end Android handheld devices in the future.
With that in mind, we can’t wait to get our hands on devices with these chipsets within them as the gaming handheld market grows.