Every Snapdragon Processor Explained | From S Series to Snapdragon 8 Series — Transcript

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1. 0:00Every Snapdragon smartphone processor
2. 0:01[music] briefly explained. When we say
3. 0:03Snapdragon, we are not just talking
4. 0:05about the phone's main processor, but
5. 0:06about a so-called SOC, system on a chip.
6. 0:10An SOC is basically the entire brain of
7. 0:12a smartphone integrated into a single
8. 0:14chip. Inside it, we find the main
9. 0:16processor, the graphics processor, the
10. 0:18modem for cellular signal and internet
11. 0:20connectivity, camera processing
12. 0:22hardware, and many other important
13. 0:23components. This allows smartphones to
14. 0:25be more compact, faster, and more
15. 0:27power-efficient. [music] The Snapdragon
16. 0:29S series was Qualcomm's first major
17. 0:31generation of mobile processors. The
18. 0:33Snapdragon S family was divided into
19. 0:35multiple lineups, Snapdragon S1, S2, S3,
20. 0:39and S4. Snapdragon S1 was launched in
21. 0:422009 and was based on a [music]
22. 0:43single-core processor clocked at up to 1
23. 0:46GHz at a time when many smartphones were
24. 0:48still running at only 500 or 600 MHz. It
25. 0:52also featured the Adreno 200 graphics
26. 0:54processor and was initially manufactured
27. 0:56on a 65 nm process with Qualcomm later
28. 0:59introducing more efficient 45 nm
29. 1:01variants. Snapdragon S2 was a more
30. 1:04mature and more efficient version of the
31. 1:05S1 series delivering better overall
32. 1:08performance, lower power consumption,
33. 1:09[music]
34. 1:10and graphics performance that was
35. 1:11roughly twice as powerful compared to
36. 1:13Snapdragon S1. Snapdragon S3 was one of
37. 1:16the most important early Snapdragon
38. 1:18generations because it introduced
39. 1:19dual-core processors delivering much
40. 1:21better performance for multitasking,
41. 1:23gaming, and HD video playback. The
42. 1:25biggest leap, however, came with
43. 1:27Snapdragon S4. This generation
44. 1:29introduced the new Krait CPU cores and
45. 1:32the transition to a 28 nm manufacturing
46. 1:34process [music] delivering significantly
47. 1:36better performance and much lower power
48. 1:38consumption compared to the previous
49. 1:40generation. The Snapdragon S4 series was
50. 1:43divided into multiple variants. S4 Play
51. 1:45for entry-level and budget smartphones,
52. 1:47S4 Plus for the mainstream and mid-range
53. 1:50segment, S4 Pro for flagship devices and
54. 1:53high-performance [music] smartphones,
55. 1:54while S4 Prime was mainly focused on LTE
56. 1:57connectivity and more advanced mobile
57. 1:59motives.
58. 2:00>> [music]
59. 2:00>> The next generation of processors was
60. 2:02the Snapdragon 2 series. This lineup was
61. 2:04designed for entry-level and budget
62. 2:06smartphones, mainly focusing on basic
63. 2:08everyday usage. The [music] Snapdragon
64. 2:10200 series included models such as
65. 2:12Snapdragon 200, 205, 208, 210, [music]
66. 2:15212, and 215. The first Snapdragon 200
67. 2:19models used ARM Cortex-A5 CPU cores and
68. 2:22later Cortex-A7 cores. On the graphics
69. 2:25side, the Snapdragon 200 series featured
70. 2:28entry-level Adreno graphics processors,
71. 2:30which [music] were good enough for the
72. 2:31user interface, video playback, and very
73. 2:33simple games, but limited when it came
74. 2:35to more demanding three-dimensional
75. 2:37applications. The series gradually
76. 2:39evolved and introduced support for HD
77. 2:41displays, better cameras, dual SIM
78. 2:43functionality, and 4G LTE connectivity
79. 2:46on newer models. One of the most
80. 2:48important chips was the Snapdragon 210,
81. 2:50as it helped popularize affordable 4G
82. 2:52smartphones in many regions around the
83. 2:54world.
84. 2:55The next major generation was the
85. 2:57Snapdragon 400 series, designed for
86. 2:59entry-level and affordable mid-range
87. 3:01smartphones, quickly becoming one of the
88. 3:03most popular Snapdragon platforms.
89. 3:05Compared to the Snapdragon 200 series,
90. 3:07the Snapdragon 400 lineup delivered
91. 3:09significantly better performance, faster
92. 3:12processors, and more capable Adreno
93. 3:14graphics processors for casual gaming,
94. 3:16multitasking, and multimedia. A very
95. 3:18important moment for the series came in
96. 3:202014 with the launch of the Snapdragon
97. 3:22410, as it became one of the first
98. 3:25entry-level [music] Snapdragon
99. 3:26processors to support 64-bit
100. 3:28architecture. In 2022, Qualcomm
101. 3:30reorganized the lineup and introduced
102. 3:32the new Snapdragon 4 series generation.
103. 3:35This includes models such as Snapdragon
104. 3:374 Gen 1, 4 Gen 2, 4 S Gen 2, 4 Gen 4,
105. 3:40and 4 Gen 5. Compared to the older
106. 3:43Snapdragon 400 series, the new
107. 3:45Snapdragon 4 series delivers much more
108. 3:47efficient processors, standard 5G
109. 3:49support, more advanced AI capabilities,
110. 3:51better camera systems, and significantly
111. 3:54higher performance for affordable
112. 3:55smartphones. Snapdragon 4 Gen 1
113. 3:58represented a major upgrade compared to
114. 4:00the older Snapdragon 400 processors. The
115. 4:02chip was built on a 6-nanometer process
116. 4:05and used a combination of Cortex CPU
117. 4:07cores, delivering solid performance for
118. 4:09daily use and multitasking. It also
119. 4:11introduced support for 5G connectivity,
120. 4:13full HD plus displays at 120 hertz, and
121. 4:16improved graphics performance. In 2023,
122. 4:19Qualcomm introduced the Snapdragon 4 Gen
123. 4:212, which moved to a 4-nanometer
124. 4:23manufacturing process for better
125. 4:25efficiency and lower temperatures.
126. 4:27However, the graphics processor was
127. 4:28slightly weaker compared to the
128. 4:30Snapdragon 4 Gen 1. Snapdragon 4s Gen 2
129. 4:33was launched in 2024 and was mainly
130. 4:35targeted at ultra-budget smartphones.
131. 4:37Qualcomm focused on affordable 5G
132. 4:39connectivity and power efficiency, while
133. 4:42still using a 4-nanometer manufacturing
134. 4:44process. In 2025, Snapdragon 4 Gen 4 was
135. 4:48introduced, bringing somewhat better
136. 4:49performance and higher efficiency. The
137. 4:51chip still used a Cortex core
138. 4:53configuration, but added support for
139. 4:55LPDDR5 memory, improved camera
140. 4:57capabilities, and 5G speeds of up to 2.5
141. 5:00gigabits per second. And in 2026,
142. 5:03Qualcomm introduced the Snapdragon 4 Gen
143. 5:055, the newest generation in the lineup.
144. 5:08Qualcomm is now starting to bring
145. 5:09features inspired by higher-end chipsets
146. 5:11into the entry-level segment, including
147. 5:13support for 90 FPS gaming, AI-powered
148. 5:16camera optimizations, and smoother user
149. 5:18interfaces, all while trying to reduce
150. 5:21the gap between entry-level and
151. 5:22mid-range smartphones. The Snapdragon 6
152. 5:25series is Qualcomm's lineup of
153. 5:27processors designed for the mid-range
154. 5:28and upper mid-range smartphone segment.
155. 5:31The first models used quad-core and
156. 5:33later octa-core processors, manufactured
157. 5:35on a 28-nanometer process. These chips
158. 5:38supported full HD displays, cameras of
159. 5:40up to around 21 megapixels, and 4G LTE
160. 5:43connectivity. A very important evolution
161. 5:45came with the Snapdragon 625 in 2016,
162. 5:48one of the most [music] popular
163. 5:49mid-range Snapdragon processors ever
164. 5:51made. It moved to a 14-nanometer process
165. 5:54and used [music] eight Cortex-A53 CPU
166. 5:57cores clocked at up to 2 GHz, combined
167. 5:59with the Adreno graphics processor, much
168. 6:01lower power consumption, and excellent
169. 6:03battery life. Later on, models such as
170. 6:06the Snapdragon 660 and 675 introduced
171. 6:09more powerful Kryo CPU [music] cores and
172. 6:11stronger graphics processors. Then the
173. 6:14Snapdragon 695 brought Kryo 660 CPU
174. 6:17cores, the Adreno 619 graphics
175. 6:19processor, support for 120 Hz displays,
176. 6:22and excellent efficiency thanks to its
177. 6:246-nanometer manufacturing process.
178. 6:27In 2022, Qualcomm introduced the new
179. 6:29generation called the Snapdragon 6
180. 6:31series. This lineup includes models such
181. 6:34as Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, 6 Gen 3, 6S Gen
182. 6:373, 6 Gen 4, 6S Gen 4, and 6 Gen 5.
183. 6:42Compared to the older Snapdragon 600
184. 6:44series, the new Snapdragon 6 models use
185. 6:47much more powerful CPU cores and more
186. 6:49efficient manufacturing processes, with
187. 6:51some chips built on advanced 4-nanometer
188. 6:53technology. The first major model,
189. 6:55Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, launched in 2022,
190. 6:58was built on a 4-nanometer process and
191. 7:00introduced support for cameras of up to
192. 7:02200 megapixels, 4K HDR video recording,
193. 7:05full HD plus displays at 120 Hz, and
194. 7:08Wi-Fi 6E. Essentially, the Snapdragon 6
195. 7:11series was already starting to bring
196. 7:13features that previously existed only on
197. 7:15flagship smartphones. In 2024, Qualcomm
198. 7:18introduced the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, which
199. 7:20kept the 4+4 CPU configuration with
200. 7:23Cortex-A78 and A55 cores, while
201. 7:26increasing CPU frequencies up to 2.4 GHz
202. 7:29and introducing a more powerful version
203. 7:31of the Adreno 710 graphics processor.
204. 7:33[music]
205. 7:34In 2025, Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 was
206. 7:37launched, representing a major leap for
207. 7:39the [music] series. Qualcomm moved to
208. 7:41one Cortex A720 core, three Cortex A720
209. 7:44cores, four Cortex A520 cores, and the
210. 7:47new Adreno 810 graphics processor. This
211. 7:50was the first major architectural
212. 7:52redesign of the Snapdragon 6 series,
213. 7:54bringing it much closer to the
214. 7:55Snapdragon 7 and Snapdragon 8 lineups.
215. 7:58Also, in 2025, Qualcomm introduced the
216. 8:01Snapdragon 6s Gen 4, a more affordable
217. 8:04variant based on the older Cortex A78
218. 8:06and Adreno 710 configuration. The newest
219. 8:09model in the lineup is Snapdragon 6 Gen
220. 8:115, launched in 2026. It continues the
221. 8:14direction of the series with a 4
222. 8:16nanometer manufacturing process, a
223. 8:18modern Kryo CPU using a 4 + 4
224. 8:20configuration, a new Adreno graphics
225. 8:22processor, [music] and significantly
226. 8:24more advanced AI and multimedia features
227. 8:26compared to previous generations. The
228. 8:28Snapdragon 700 series is Qualcomm's
229. 8:31upper mid-range lineup, introduced in
230. 8:332018 to bring premium features and
231. 8:35near-flagship performance to more
232. 8:37affordable smartphones. The first major
233. 8:39models, such as the Snapdragon 710,
234. 8:42introduced features previously reserved
235. 8:43for the Snapdragon 800 series into the
236. 8:46upper mid-range segment, including a
237. 8:48dedicated AI engine, more powerful Kryo
238. 8:50CPU cores, and more advanced Spectra
239. 8:53image signal processors for photo and
240. 8:55video processing. The series quickly
241. 8:57evolved through models such as the
242. 8:59Snapdragon 720G, 730G, 765G, and 778G,
243. 9:05with Qualcomm placing a strong focus on
244. 9:07gaming, multimedia performance, and
245. 9:09power efficiency. During this period,
246. 9:11the Snapdragon 700 series helped
247. 9:13popularize features such as 90 Hz and
248. 9:15120 Hz displays, cameras with
249. 9:17resolutions exceeding 100 megapixels,
250. 9:20more advanced AI capabilities, and later
251. 9:225G connectivity in the upper mid-range
252. 9:25segment. [music]
253. 9:25A particularly important milestone for
254. 9:27the series was the Snapdragon 765G,
255. 9:30the first Snapdragon 700 chip to feature
256. 9:33an integrated 5G modem. It was later
257. 9:35followed by the Snapdragon 778G, built
258. 9:38on a 6 nanometer process and widely
259. 9:40regarded as one of Qualcomm's most
260. 9:41well-balanced processors [music] thanks
261. 9:43to its excellent combination of
262. 9:44performance, low temperatures, and
263. 9:46outstanding battery life.
264. 9:48In 2022, Qualcomm reorganized the lineup
265. 9:51and introduced the new Snapdragon 7
266. 9:53series. Models such as the Snapdragon 7
267. 9:55Gen 1, 7 Gen 3, and 7 Gen 4 feature
268. 9:59modern CPU architectures, more powerful
269. 10:01Adreno graphics processors, and advanced
270. 10:034 nanometer manufacturing processes for
271. 10:05improved efficiency and performance. At
272. 10:08the same time, Qualcomm also introduced
273. 10:10the Snapdragon 7 Plus and Snapdragon 7S
274. 10:13line-ups. The Snapdragon 7 Plus series
275. 10:15represents the near flagship tier of the
276. 10:17family. For example, the Snapdragon 7
277. 10:19Plus Gen 2 and 7 Plus Gen 3 feature
278. 10:22Cortex-X cores and deliver CPU and
279. 10:25graphics performance that comes
280. 10:26remarkably close to flagship chips from
281. 10:28previous generations. This makes them
282. 10:30capable of advanced gaming, powerful AI
283. 10:32workloads, and premium smartphone
284. 10:34experiences in the upper mid-range
285. 10:36segment. [music] In contrast, the
286. 10:37Snapdragon 7S series is the more
287. 10:40affordable and efficiency-focused
288. 10:41option. It retains many modern features
289. 10:43while using less powerful processors and
290. 10:45graphics hardware, helping manufacturers
291. 10:47reduce costs and bring more competitive
292. 10:49pricing to smartphones. In simple terms,
293. 10:52Snapdragon 7 is the premium upper
294. 10:54mid-range lineup, Snapdragon 7 Plus is
295. 10:56the near flagship lineup, while
296. 10:58Snapdragon 7S is the more affordable and
297. 11:01value-oriented option. The Snapdragon
298. 11:04800 series is Qualcomm's flagship lineup
299. 11:06of mobile processors. First introduced
300. 11:08in 2013 for premium smartphones and
301. 11:10devices focused on delivering maximum
302. 11:13performance. In many ways, this was the
303. 11:15series that defined the flagship
304. 11:16standard in the Android world for years
305. 11:18to come. The first major models such as
306. 11:20the Snapdragon 800 and 801 introduced
307. 11:23highly capable Krait processors for
308. 11:25their time, significantly more powerful
309. 11:27Adreno graphics processors, and support
310. 11:29for features that seemed almost
311. 11:30impossible on a smartphone back then,
312. 11:32including 4K video recording as well as
313. 11:35high-speed LTE connectivity. A major
314. 11:38milestone for the series came with the
315. 11:39Snapdragon 810 in 2015, Qualcomm's first
316. 11:43flagship processor fully based on the
317. 11:4464-bit ARMv8 architecture. It marked the
318. 11:48transition to a new generation of
319. 11:49Android applications, multitasking, and
320. 11:52overall performance. However, the
321. 11:53Snapdragon 810 also became one of
322. 11:55Qualcomm's most controversial processors
323. 11:58due to its high temperatures and thermal
324. 11:59throttling issues, which negatively
325. 12:01affected the performance of several
326. 12:02major flagship smartphones of that era.
327. 12:05Qualcomm made a strong comeback with the
328. 12:06Snapdragon 835, launched in 2017.
329. 12:09[music] Built on a 10-nanometer process,
330. 12:11it featured Kryo 280 CPU cores, the
331. 12:14Adreno 540 graphics processor, and the
332. 12:16Snapdragon X16 LTE modem, capable of
333. 12:19download speeds of up to 1 gigabit per
334. 12:21second.
335. 12:22The series continued to evolve through
336. 12:24powerful models such as the Snapdragon
337. 12:26845, 855, and 865, with the latter
338. 12:30helping popularize 5G on Android
339. 12:32flagship smartphones and introducing
340. 12:34support for 8K video recording. In 2020,
341. 12:36the lineup reached the Snapdragon 888,
342. 12:39built on a 5-nanometer process and based
343. 12:41on the new Cortex-X1 architecture. It
344. 12:44delivered extremely high CPU and
345. 12:46graphics performance, significantly more
346. 12:48advanced photo and video processing
347. 12:49capabilities, [music] and integrated 5G
348. 12:51connectivity through the Snapdragon X60
349. 12:54modem.
350. 12:55Starting in 2021, Qualcomm moved to a
351. 12:57new naming system based on annual
352. 12:59generations, introducing chips such as
353. 13:01Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, 8 Gen 2, 8 Gen 3,
354. 13:04Snapdragon 8 Elite, and 8 Gen 5. Early
355. 13:07models like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
356. 13:09introduced the new ARMv9 architecture
357. 13:12and delivered a major leap in AI
358. 13:13capabilities and image processing,
359. 13:15featuring Cortex-X2 CPU cores and the
360. 13:18Adreno 730 graphics processor. However,
361. 13:21the real breakthrough came with the
362. 13:22Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, where Qualcomm
363. 13:25switched to TSMC's [music] 4-nanometer
364. 13:27manufacturing process and significantly
365. 13:29improved both efficiency and thermal
366. 13:31performance. It was also one of the
367. 13:33first mobile processors to introduce
368. 13:35hardware accelerated ray tracing through
369. 13:37the Adreno 740 graphics processor,
370. 13:39bringing more realistic visual effects
371. 13:41to mobile gaming.
372. 13:44In 2023, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 placed a
373. 13:47major focus on on-device generative AI.
374. 13:50Around the same time, Qualcomm also
375. 13:51introduced the Snapdragon 8s lineup,
376. 13:54offering more affordable versions of its
377. 13:55flagship chips. A hugely important
378. 13:57milestone for Qualcomm came with the
379. 13:59launch of the Snapdragon 8 Elite in
380. 14:012024. The company introduced its new
381. 14:03custom Orion CPU cores, designed to
382. 14:06deliver significantly higher performance
383. 14:08and improved efficiency. Built on a 3
384. 14:10nanometer process, the Snapdragon 8
385. 14:12Elite features the Adreno 830 graphics
386. 14:15processor, [music] much more powerful
387. 14:16ray tracing capabilities, and highly
388. 14:18advanced AI processing. Today, Qualcomm
389. 14:21continues to evolve the lineup with
390. 14:23chips such as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen
391. 14:255, Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, and the new
392. 14:28Snapdragon 8s Gen 4. These processors
393. 14:30continue pushing the limits of mobile
394. 14:32performance through multimodal AI, ray
395. 14:34traced gaming, Wi-Fi 7, ultra-fast 5G
396. 14:37modems, and performance levels that are
397. 14:39increasingly comparable to compact
398. 14:41laptops.
399. 14:42Today, the Snapdragon 8 series sits at
400. 14:44the heart of the premium Android
401. 14:46ecosystem and powers flagship devices
402. 14:48from brands such as Samsung, Xiaomi,
403. 14:50OnePlus, or Asus, making it one of the
404. 14:52most powerful mobile platforms in the
405. 14:54world.
406. 14:56What Snapdragon processor is powering
407. 14:57your smartphone right now? Drop the chip
408. 14:59name or phone model in the comments.
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413. 15:12>> [music]
414. 15:18[music]
415. 15:22[music]
416. 15:26>> Mhm.