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The new Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 is worse than the 6 Gen 1
- Qualcomm has quietly launched the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 SoC in 4G and 5G variants.
- The 6s Gen 3 is similar to the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1, which is, in turn, similar to the Snapdragon 695 SoC.
- Based on the specifications, the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 sits below the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1.
Qualcomm made the leap to a “simplified” naming scheme with the launch of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in 2021, promising an SoC lineup that would be easier for consumers to understand. We’re now deep in 2024, and Qualcomm’s naming scheme is in a really bad spot. Qualcomm has released plenty of confusing SoC versions following no discernible hierarchy, making it challenging to rank phones at a glance. The company has quietly launched the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3, which appears to be a slightly better version of the Snapdragon 695 from 2021 but seemingly much worse than the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 from 2022.
The Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 has the model number SM6375-AC, which puts it closer to the Snapdragon 695 (SM6375) than to the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 (SM6450). When you go through the specifications of the 6s Gen 3, you’d be hard-pressed to find any real differences between it and the Snapdragon 695 other than a tiny increase in clock speeds.
| Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Launched in | Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 2021 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 2022 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 2024 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 2022 |
Model number | Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 SM6375 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 SM4375 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 SM6375-AC (5G), SM-6370 (4G) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SM6450 |
Process | Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 6nm TSMC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 6nm TSMC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 6nm TSMC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 4nm Samsung LPE |
CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 2x Cortex-A78 @ 2.2GHz + 6x Cortex-A55 @ 1.8GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 2x Cortex-A78 @ 2.2GHz + 6x Cortex-A55 @ 1.8GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 2x Cortex-A78 @ 2.3GHz + 6x Cortex-A55 @ 2.0GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 4x Cortex-A78 @ 2.2GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 @ 1.8GHz |
GPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 Adreno 619 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 Adreno 619 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 Adreno 619 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 Adreno 710 |
Memory | Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 LPDDR4X | Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 LPDDR4X | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 LPDDR4X | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 LPDDR5 |
Storage | Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 UFS 2.2 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 UFS 2.2 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 UFS 2.2 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 UFS 3.1 |
ISP | Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 108MP photo capture; 32MP single camera with ZSL; 25MP + 13MP dual camera with ZSL; 13MP triple camera with ZSL | Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 108MP photo capture; 32MP single camera with ZSL; 25MP + 13MP dual camera with ZSL; 13MP triple camera with ZSL | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 108MP photo capture; 32MP single camera with ZSL; 25MP + 13MP dual camera with ZSL; 13MP triple camera with ZSL | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 200MP photo capture; 48MP single camera with ZSL; 25MP + 16MP dual camera with ZSL; 13MP triple camera with ZSL |
Video recording | Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 1080p@60fps | Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 1080p@60fps | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 1080p@60fps | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 4K@30fps |
Modem | Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 Snapdragon X51 5G | Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 Snapdragon X51 5G | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 Snapdragon X51 5G | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 Snapdragon X62 5G |
Connectivity | Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 FastConnect 6200 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 FastConnect 6200 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 FastConnect 6200 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 FastConnect 6700 |
Curiously, the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3’s fact sheet says that the SoC comes with part numbers SM6375-AC and SM6370. The fine print on the SM6370 is that it is not 5G capable. Qualcomm does not mention any other differences between the two part numbers, which is a bit weird since that would mean that both the 4G Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 and the 5G Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 use the same 5G Snapdragon X51 modem-RF system.
We could not locate any further differences beyond these. So, for the most part, the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 appears to be a renamed Snapdragon 695, while the 4G variant is the same Snapdragon 695 with the 5G radio disabled.
If we are allowed to speculate, this could be a marketing maneuver that allows OEM partners to sell phones with the same Snapdragon 695 SoC (launched in 2021) in 2024 but with a newer brand name. Because of how bigger numbers work for marketing and advertising, many users will also be under the false impression that the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 could be better than the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, not realizing that it’s the same old Snapdragon 695 SoC with no real changes.
And if all of this feels familiar to you, Qualcomm did something similar with the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 (SM4375, launched in 2022), which is also practically a rebranded Snapdragon 695. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 was launched alongside the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, and as per my observation, it gave the humble Snapdragon 695 another chance at relevancy with the new naming scheme.
Qualcomm’s marketing angle becomes even clearer when you start wondering about the missing Snapdragons. Where are the Snapdragon 6s Gen 1, 6 Gen 2, 6s Gen 2, and 6 Gen 3? How did we jump from the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 straight to the 6s Gen 3 and still ended up with a downgrade? There are a lot of gaps here and not enough logical reasoning. Note that Qualcomm uses the “s” suffix to denote a “lite” version and not a “pro” version, against the usual conventions followed in the smartphone industry.
We’ve contacted Qualcomm for comments and clarifications. We’ll update this article if and when we hear back from them.