This week Qualcomm released the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. A week before MediaTek announced the Dimensity 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?
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 vital to how well the chip actually performs. Sometimes new means hot (in a bad way).
The flagship will remain competitive for years to come. The Snapdragon 865, which became the 870, stuck 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 midrange GPUs often running below their power. Therefore, some people feel that getting a flagship a year or two ago is a better deal because all the price premium is gone while maintaining the level of performance.
There is one special case we have to mention – gaming phones. Peak performance is an essential part of their identity. There are some low-cost offerings that use an older chip (like the Snapdragon 870 mentioned above), but the latest gaming phones have the latest flagship chipset.
There are those who say, “Whatever it is, shutter lag isn’t so 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.
What is your stance on this topic – should you have the latest and greatest chipset? Vote below or you can use it if this page doesn’t work for you.