The Adreno 830 GPU is said to be a part of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, with initial performance results showing that the graphics processor was nothing short of a beast, beating Apple’s M2 by 10 percent in 3DMark’s Wild Life Extreme test. Now, one tipster hints that raw performance will not just be included in the GPU’s list of improvements because support for upgraded memory compression may also be added, along with increased utilization to raise performance in demanding games.
Tipster notes that Qualcomm’s phone partners have opted to use larger batteries in their Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 flagships, likely to last longer during gaming sessions
One major change to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is the new slice GPU architecture. For some reason, Weibo tipster Digital Chat Station left it out of his post, but thankfully, @negativeonehero was quick to point it out on X. For those that do not know, a slice GPU architecture means that the Adreno 830 will be divided into multiple, independent instances called ‘slices,’ with each touting its own pipeline, cache, and memory. The advantages of this architecture were not highlighted, but we do know the benefits of an improved memory compression algorithm.
8G4 GPU architectural upgrades are massive. Known big changes so far are the new slice GPU architecture, and a new memory compression algorithm (since A650!) pic.twitter.com/81bWsJjCU6
— sun.dtsi (@negativeonehero) June 7, 2024
Looking at Apple’s efforts to bring AAA games to the iPhone, Qualcomm is probably feeling pressure to work with game development companies and go down the exact same route. This could be one reason why the Weibo user states that the chipset maker’s Shanghai team has developed a new technology that improves GPU utilization and overall performance. Earlier, the tipster claimed that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 would power future Android flagships with massive battery capacities of 5,500mAh and hinted that the SoC’s high power draw would be the reason behind this decision.
However, it is possible that the switch to bigger batteries is because Android smartphone makers want their devices to last longer when owners are immersed in running graphically demanding games. With improved GPU utilization comes increased power consumption, as the application is said to take full advantage of the Adreno 830. With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, Qualcomm could get serious about bringing AAA gaming to millions of devices, even if it means being behind Apple by a whole year.
News Source: Digital Chat Station
