Three New Snapdragon G-Series SoCs Joins Qualcomm’s Gaming Chips Roster
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- Qualcomm unveils three new snapdragon G-series chips aimed towards android gaming handhelds.
- Alongside this reveal, the company also mentioned that there will be a device releasing this year that will use the new G-series chips.
- Qualcomm did not provide specifics regarding the clock speed and power efficiency of the chips.
On March 17, Qualcomm released three new gaming SoCs that are targeted towards gaming handhelds. The three new chips are the Snapdragon G3 Gen 3, Snapdragon G2 Gen 2, and the Snapdragon G1 Gen 2.
Each of these chips have a distinct target and functionality that the company plans to tackle. For example the Snapdragon G3 Gen 3 is marketed to enthusiasts with its ability to fully utilize Lumen and Ray Tracing for handheld devices. The company also mentions that the G3 Gen 3 chip features 30% faster CPU and 28% faster advanced graphics capabilities compared to G3x which was released in Q4 of 2023
The Snapdragon G2 Gen 2 is more of a chip targeted for the midranged devices. According to Qualcomm, this chip is aimed for gaming and cloud gaming at 144 FPS. G2 Gen 2 also features 2.3x CPU performance increase and 3.8x faster GPU capabilities over Snapdragon G2 Gen 1.
Snapdragon G1 Gen 2 is the budget counterpart of all these chips, targeting a wider audience. The G1 Gen 2 chip is weaker compared to the two other chips mentioned above, but Qualcomm mentioned that this chip is intended for cloud gaming. However, the chip only supports Wi-Fi 5 connection and only 120 FPS. Both the Snapdragon G2 Gen 2 and G3 Gen 3 boasts up to 144 FPS and supports Wi-Fi 7 together with Bluetooth 5.3.
Qualcomm did not provide information about specifics about clock speed, power efficiency, and others.
Alongside this announcement, Qualcomm also revealed that consumers will be able to get their hands on these chips as soon as later this month. Ayaneo, OneXSugar, and Retroid Pocket will all release handheld gaming devices powered by the newly announced chips.
Ayaneo’s Pocket S2 is slated for release later this month and they also have another device which will be available in May 2025. OneXSugar is developing a dual screen device that will be available for preorder in May 2025 as well.
While this reveal comes at a great time, considering that handheld PC gaming is becoming very popular, Qualcomm’s chips are based on the ARM architecture not the x86 architecture that the Steam Deck uses. Most of Qualcomm’s gaming chips have only seen use in Android handheld devices like the Razer Edge and Ayaneo Pocket S.
