It’s no secret now that Apple has poured most of its love and attention into it iPhone 14 Pro Models with this year’s iPhone updates. But if you are still hurting because of iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 14 Pro Resolution, you’ve just gotten another push towards a Pro phone from a very unlikely source — Qualcomm and its latest system-on-a-chip.
Qualcomm doesn’t make chips for the iPhone, of course, but Snapdragon silicon powers many of the iPhone’s major competitors, including Samsung’s Galaxy S series. Now that we’ve seen the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2We’ve got a better idea of what kind of chipset will power next year’s Galaxy S23 phones, assuming Samsung uses Qualcomm’s new offering as widely expected.
Specifically, we have the initial Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 standards It suggests that Qualcomm’s new silicon could outperform the A15 Bionic chipset that powers the A15 Bionic chipset iPhone 14 And the iPhone 14 Plus. A test device running on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 posted better numbers than the iPhone 14 in every test we ran, except for our timed video editing test with Adobe Premiere Rush. And even there, the iPhone 14 finished just 9 seconds ahead of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, unlike the 19-second gap between an Apple phone and the first-gen Snapdragon 8-powered Galaxy S22.
| Row 0 – cell 0 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 test device | iPhone 14 (A15 Bionic) | iPhone 14 Pro Max (A16 Bionic) |
| Single-core Geekbench test score | 1500 | 1,727 | 1,882 |
| Geekbench multicore test score | 5249 | 4533 | 5,333 |
| Wild Life Unlimited Test Score (FPS) | 84 | 69.1 | 74 |
| Video conversion time (in minutes: seconds) | 0:37 | 0:28 | 0:30 |
This is a rather important development. Assuming these numbers are a good indication of what Galaxy S23 It could run on the new Snapdragon silicon, and it would be the first time since Apple began designing its mobile chips that one of the latest iPhones hasn’t outperformed a flagship Android device.
It’s not entirely bad news for Apple. The A16 Bionic is found in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max It continues to have better performance than we saw from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, although the gap is clearly closing. And in several of our graphics tests, the Snapdragon-powered device actually did better.
Apple’s split decision
While reviewing the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 numbers, I couldn’t help but think about Apple’s decision to use different processors on the new phones it released this year — the first time that’s ever happened. While the A16 powering the Pro models is all-new, the iPhone 14’s A15 Bionic chipset is a residual from the one used last year. iPhone 13 Pro Models. (Both Professional and Standard versions of iPhone 13 Use the A15 Bionic, but the chipset in the Pro and Pro Max models has an extra core in its GPU.)
Apple has never officially given a reason to split its chips with the iPhone 14 models, but it’s reasonable to assume that the company is looking to differentiate its various flagships. While the only thing separating the standard iPhone from the Pro models in the past was the telephoto lens on the latter phones, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro are more unique. The new Pro phones not only have a better chipset, but a more powerful main camera, quick refresh screens, and a revised design that does away with the notch in favor of the Dynamic Island feature.
You’d be hard-pressed to call Apple’s efforts to brand its phones wrong. While Apple doesn’t break down sales by phone model, early reports suggest there’s more interest among shoppers for the more expensive Pro versions — a trend that will only help Apple’s profits if that translates into actual sales.
In other words, Apple is essentially telling shoppers that if they want the best the iPhone has to offer, they’ll need to pay at least $999 for the iPhone 14 Pro. If this number is too high, there is always the iPhone 14 at $ 799, even if its specifications are not impressive. And for some people, the lure of a low price might be worth it.
way ahead of the iPhone
The early results we’ve seen from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 have changed that calculation a bit, though. Before, you’d give up a few notable features to get an affordable iPhone that could still outperform most Android devices. But once Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered phones start to appear, you’ll see phones that match if not exceed the performance of the iPhone 14 — and at around the same price Samsung should end up charging $799 for the entry-level Galaxy S23.
Admittedly, benchmarks aren’t everything when it comes to whether or not a phone is worth your time. The lack of a telephoto lens aside, the iPhone 14 still boasts some excellent cameras, and if you like a device with a big screen, the iPhone 14 Plus gives you a 6.7-inch display plus a long-lasting battery to boot. There are reasons to still get either of these phones, even if they have Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered devices breathing down their necks soon enough.
But going forward, Apple will have to find a way to maintain interest in its entry-level flagship, especially if, as expected, the A16 Bionic winds up next year. iPhone 15 While reserving any new chipsets for their Pro models, as is rumored iPhone 15 Ultra. Apple’s Pro phones remain as compelling as ever, but as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 results indicate, the base model iPhones will do their best to keep their edge.
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