The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 isn't out but we've already got Snapdragon Gen 4 rumors

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is one of the best Android phone processors on the market right now, but we’ve already seen a few Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 leaks ahead of its release. Now, it looks like we’ve got the first purported details regarding the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4.

Frequent tipster Digital Chat Station has claimed that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 (apparently bearing the SM87505 model number) will use the company’s custom Nuvia CPU technology. This would ostensibly be the first Snapdragon smartphone processor to use a Nuvia CPU.

The leaker further asserts that the new processor — which is expected to be announced in late 2024 for 2025’s phones — will have a 2+6 CPU core layout.

Say goodbye to big/medium/little CPUs?

Qualcomm shed a little light on its custom CPU tech at the Snapdragon Summit in 2022, revealing that it would be called Oryon. The company also previously noted that it intends to bring the tech to PCs first, so we might not have to wait for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 to see this new CPU in action.

The claimed 2+6 CPU core layout is pretty interesting too, suggesting that Qualcomm has both big and little custom cores in the works. This wouldn’t be the first time we’ve heard about big and little custom Nuvia/Oryon cores, as tipster Kuba Wojciechowski previously claimed a 2024 desktop Snapdragon chip could have an octa-core custom CPU with eight big cores and four little cores.

We’re expecting the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 to stick with the big/medium/little CPU layout. But it certainly sounds like Qualcomm could eventually ditch the three-tier CPU setup it’s used since 2020’s Snapdragon 865 series. This would bring the US chipmaker in line with Apple, which has stuck with a two-tier CPU setup (two big, four little) for its iPhone processors to great effect.