Qualcomm released the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 this week. One week before MediaTek announced the Dimension 9200. Also, Apple’s iPhone 14 series was released recently, but only the pros got the new chipset. The next generation of flagship chips are ready to prove their strength in benchmarks, but do flagship chips matter?
The smartphone chipset shows no signs of slowing down after years of impressive improvements. Ray tracing support is now standard on high-end GPUs, and AI accelerators are advancing rapidly. CPU performance is also increasing. However, choosing the right semiconductor tip has proven to be critical to the actual chip performance. Sometimes new means hot (in a bad way).
The flagship will remain competitive for years to come. The Snapdragon 865, which became the 870, has been around longer than most smartphone chips. Why not, it’s fast and efficient. The GPU is one of the slowest maturing components on a mainstream chip, with mid-range GPUs often running below their rated power. Therefore, some people find that getting a flagship a year or two ago is a better deal because all the premium is gone while still maintaining the level of performance.
There is one special case that we have to mention: gaming phones. Maximum performance is an essential part of their identity. There are some budget offerings that use an older chip (like the Snapdragon 870 mentioned above), but the latest gaming phones have the latest flagship chipset.
Some say, “Whatever it is, the shutter lag isn’t that bad.” You don’t need a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or Dimensity 9200 to scroll through an app drawer or Facebook, a mid-range chip will handle that too. If it can handle your camera and connectivity needs, there’s no need to pay more for a power-hungry flagship chip.
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