Snapdragon 8 Gen 4’s rumored DLSS could cause more problems than it solves

Summary

• Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 powers top Android gaming phones like Samsung, Nubia, and Asus devices seamlessly.
• Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 with Oryon CPU debuting in October could demand a huge battery for Android gaming phones.
• Existing Android hardware is already advanced for gaming; Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 rumors may bring unnecessary features.

While there is plenty of variety when choosing the best Android phone for gaming, the most powerful choices have one thing in common: the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. This chip allows Samsung’s, Nubia’s, and Asus’s flagship devices to handle the most demanding Android games without a hitch. Still, as we observed last year, it’s hard to get the most out of the chipset when Android games aren’t capable of pushing it to its limit.

Enter the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, which Qualcomm will debut at the annual Snapdragon Summit in October. While we don’t have any official specs yet, reliable leakers released information about the upcoming chipset’s performance capabilities and power demands.

While much of the news is exciting, there’s no denying we’re in an era of diminishing returns regarding the hardware in our phones. While this wasn’t a problem with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the Gen 4 chipset could cause more problems than it solves. So, let’s dive into two of the biggest Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 rumors and consider how this could affect our mobile gaming.

Do Android phones need DLSS frame generation?

Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) debuted with Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card in 2018. This feature takes low-resolution images and uses AI to upscale them to a higher resolution. In theory, it reduces the hardware load on your graphics card and improves maximum framerates. DLSS frame generation (or DLSS 3.5) launched with the GeForce RTX 4090 and 4080 graphics card in 2022, allowing the cards’ AI to generate new frames with AI, not just upscale them.

However, this technology comes with a cost. At lower framerates, errors in frame generation become noticeable, and AI tools often make mistakes. Therefore, it’s only worth using if you already get a high frame rate.

So, what does this all mean for our phones? In short, practically nothing. Most Android phones don’t need a performance boost to play most Android games. Dedicated gaming phones are in danger of becoming obsolete. So, what’s the point of a performance boost when mobile games run great on today’s hardware? While we don’t need boosts to our mobile games’ framerates, what about performance savings? Surely this means improved battery life if our phones’ GPU doesn’t need to work as hard to run our games? Well, that might not be the case.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 could require a battery most Android phones don’t have

Separate rumors indicate that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset could require a battery of over 6,000mAh for a full day’s use. This is a huge number. None of the best Android phones for battery life have one higher than 5,500mAh.

While DLSS frame generation could theoretically reduce the performance loads and increase framerates on our mobile games, the increased power consumption of the Gen 4 chipset could negate these advantages. A bigger battery also means more space is needed in the phone and an increased risk of overheating.

The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S24, OnePlus Open, Nubia Redmagic 9S Pro, and OnePlus 12 are equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and can easily handle all Android games.

Will the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset bring advantages to our mobile gaming experience?

Android gaming is in a strange space right now. While the choice of games has never been better, from streaming AAA games through Xbox Game Pass to great free-to-play games, there isn’t a clear vision of the future. Apple is snapping up exclusive deals to publish AAA games on the App Store to show off its latest hardware, and developers treat Android games as an afterthought.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4’s new features feel unnecessary when the existing hardware is years ahead of the most demanding Android games. These rumors are just that for now. We’ll have to wait for official specs and benchmarks before deciding how this will affect our gaming experience. If you want the best gaming experience on a mobile device, there doesn’t seem to be much point in looking ahead.