Qualcomm’s latest chip, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, returns in another variant: a new version without a core is arriving on the market under the same name.
Qualcomm has launched a new version of its flagship processor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, under a slightly different reference: SM8750-3-AB.
A decision that could go unnoticed, but which nevertheless hides a big detail. Indeed, this new chip presents technical characteristics significantly different from the original version, while retaining exactly the same commercial name.
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The major difference? This new version only has seven processor cores, compared to eight for the original model. More precisely, it retains two main cores clocked at 4.32 GHz, but only offers five performance cores at 3.53 GHz, instead of six. It therefore offers… less performance.
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Chip recycling
This strategy from Qualcomm is not completely new in the industry. This is likely an attempt to recycle chips with manufacturing defects on one of the cores.
-A common practice that allows production costs to be optimized. However, it is the choice to keep exactly the same commercial name which raises… ethical questions, let’s say.
The most worrying thing about this situation is the lack of clear differentiation in the nomenclature. Contrary to its habits, Qualcomm has not opted for a distinctive name (like “ Snapdragon 8s Elite“) which would have allowed consumers to easily identify the version they are purchasing.
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You will therefore have to check not only the name of the processor, but also its exact model number (SM8750-AB vs SM8750-3-AB).
The real impacts on performance can only be measured once the first benchmarks have been carried out. Particularly in terms of the GPU, the precise characteristics of which have not been communicated by Qualcomm for this new version.
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