The upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 from Qualcomm is expected to outperform the A16 Bionic in terms of CPU. But, it appears that Apple is set to take back its lead in that department with its A17 Bionic chipset. According to reports, the A17 Bionic will be produced on TSMC’s 3nm node, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Dimensity 9300 will continue to be produced on TSMC’s 4nm nodes.
Qualcomm has managed to make the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 relatively efficient, and even though the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 may outperform the A16 Bionic in terms of CPU, the A17 Bionic will likely beat it in terms of performance. This is likely because Apple has taken up production priority on TSMC’s 3nm node, leaving no room for Qualcomm and MediaTek.
The A17 Bionic is set to power the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro models and will have a generational advantage over Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and MediaTek’s Dimensity 9300. Qualcomm will have to wait until the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 debuts at the end of 2024 before it can challenge Apple’s A17 Bionic.
The eventual winner of the smartphone processor battle will be determined by the performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 and the A18 Bionic chipsets. Both Apple and Qualcomm have been making great strides in terms of improving the performance of their respective chipsets. It’s safe to say that the competition between the two companies is only going to intensify, and the consumer will be the one who benefits the most.
