Qualcomm released their latest flagship SoC last December— the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 did not meet the users’ expectations and gained a bad reputation. The main issue is excessive heating and throttling on several 8 Gen 1 phones. Recent reports say Qualcomm plans to release a “Plus” version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 very soon.
The processor will be the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ with an SM8475 part number. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ will bring incremental improvements over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. It will combat several problems with the 8 Gen 1, mainly heating and throttling. Early rumours suggest that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ will be built on TSMC’s 4nm semiconductor fabrication process as opposed to the 8 Gen 1, which is built on Samsung’s 4nm node. This will make the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus more powerful and power-efficient than the 8 Gen 1.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ Release Date
- According to the leaks, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ may debut in early May.
Qualcomm’s flagship processors usually debut at the end of the year, mainly in December. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 was released in December 2021. Qualcomm also releases a “Plus” version of their flagship chips every year. The “Plus” versions of the chips are usually released in Q3 every year.
But this time, Qualcomm plans to release the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ ahead of schedule in May 2022. This is due to the lack of reputation of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and the availability of better alternatives from MediaTek. Another reason could be that Qualcomm is already working on the next-generation Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip just a few months away.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ Phones
Early reports suggest that we can see Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ powered phones as early as June 2022. Some of the brands that are expected to launch Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus powered phones are Samsung, Motorola, Lenovo, Xiaomi and OnePlus. Most Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ powered phones will be first released in China.
A report from January revealed that the upcoming Lenovo Legion phone would be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+. Motorola is also said to be working on a phone with the 8 Gen 1+. In addition, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 are also expected to feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ chipset.
