Qualcomm has decided to step into the Android gaming handheld segment, as the firm has announced three new SoCs under its “G-Series” lineup.
Qualcomm Enters The Handheld Segment Dominated By AMD, Already Sees Integration From The Likes Of AYANEO & OneXPlayer
The San Diego chipmaker has been rapidly expanding to new market segments in the past few years, and after seeing decent success in the laptop industry, Qualcomm is now coming for the handheld segment. Under the Snapdragon G Series generation, the chipmaker has announced three new SoCs for handheld gaming devices, featuring the Snapdragon G3 Gen 3, Snapdragon G2 Gen 2, and Snapdragon G1 Gen 2, all targeting different performance levels along with price segments as well.
Starting with the highest-end chip, the Snapdragon G3 Gen 3 is a successor to the Gen2 variant, offering 30% faster CPU performance and 28% faster graphics capabilities. In terms of core configuration, you are looking at eight Kryo cores, including one prime, five performance, and two efficiency cores. For the iGPU, Qualcomm has equipped the G3 Gen 3 with the Adreno A32 GPU, similar to its previous-gen counterpart. This particular chip targets the enthusiast end of the handheld market, offering “leading performance per watt” figures.
One of the biggest upgrades with Snapdragon G3 Gen 3 is the support for Wi-Fi 7 and QHD+ 144Hz displays, which means that the SoC can easily be integrated into any high-class device. Unfortunately, we are yet to know about specifics like clock speeds or the chip’s performance across gaming/synthetic workloads. Interestingly, the G3 Gen 3 has already seen integration from manufacturers like AYANEO and OneXPlayer, which shows the hype around Qualcomm’s new SoCs.
Next up, we have the Snapdragon G2 Gen 2, which features a similar core configuration compared to the Gen 3; however, here, the efficiency cores see a rise, likely to target better power figures. This chip is said to bring in up to a 2.3x CPU performance increase and 3.8x faster GPU capabilities over Snapdragon G2 Gen 1. It also supports Wi-Fi 7, making it easier to integrate in mainstream handheld devices. The G2 series will be more common in budget-friendly handheld products, and we’ll likely see them more in action.
Finally, the Snapdragon G1 Gen 2 is left, which focuses entirely on a budget-oriented performance experience since it features 2x performance cores and 6x efficiency cores. Qualcomm says that this chip is intended for cloud gaming on handheld devices, so we likely won’t see the G1 Gen 2 in action for mainstream products, but rather in those where lower pricing is a priority.
Qualcomm’s entry into the handheld market comes at a time when AMD has dominated the segment, especially after the release of its Phoenix APU generation, and there’s no doubt that Team Red has the leading market share. The interesting factor here would be how Qualcomm decides to compete in this space, whether through offering competitive performance or pricing, although the latter seems more sensible.
Devices like the AYANEO Pocket S2, Gaming Pad, and OneXPlayer’s SUGAR 1 have already integrated Snapdragon’s G-Series SoCs into their devices, and it will be exciting to see how this venture turns out. We expect the initial batch of Qualcomm’s handheld devices to launch in the upcoming weeks, and that’s when we will know whether the San Diego chipmaker has successfully managed to capitalize on this segment.
