Can a faster Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip really end the iPhone supremacy days?

Recently we had some very interesting leaks about the as-yet-unannounced Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip. The flagship processor, currently in the works, aims to power the ultra-powerful next-generation smartphones of 2025. Leaked benchmarks suggest it might be able to blow Apple's competitor (the A18 chip) out of the water by performance terms.

High speeds, blazing performance and exceptional results… that’s kind of what the leaks suggest. But that begs the question: Is a faster Snapdragon chip enough to end the iPhone's dominance? Let's discuss it!

Numbers: who has the largest army

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is rumored to be an exceptional chip. We hear about a boosted main core at 4.3GHz speeds, we hear about benchmark results that outperform the previous generation of the chip. Additionally, reports expect a single-core Geekbench score of 3,500 for Gen 4 (the A18 is expected to hit around 3,000), as well as better multi-core results and a faster GPU.

Performance Benchmarks:

As you can see, right now the iPhone's A17 Pro chip (on the iPhone 15 Pro Max) wins in both single-core and multi-core results in Geekbench. The Galaxy S24 Ultra, which is powered by the 8 Gen 3 chip, isn't too bad either. Improvements are expected for Apple's next-generation chip (the A18), as well as the 8 Gen 4 chip.

If you focus a little more on the numbers, you'll see that there are rumors that the 8 Gen 4 will get 3,500 in single core. This would represent a jump of 1,313 points compared to the 2,187 scored by the S24 Ultra with 8 Gen 3.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra (Image source – PhoneArena)

Also, one thing is important to consider: the 4.3GHz speed we mentioned earlier will consume way too much power for a smartphone to handle, so it probably won't be overclocked that much . Of course, a chip that draws too much power leads to overheating, and in a smartphone there is limited space for sophisticated cooling systems.

But even if the 8 Gen 4 managed to hit 3,500 points and the A18 managed 3,300 points, would that mean the days of iPhone supremacy are over?

• Do we need a larger army to win the war?
  

Of course, when you think about war, numbers are… well, one thing. No one wants to face a Persian army of millions of soldiers with five housewives and a chicken. But in our particular war (the decades-long war for smartphone dominance, I'll call it), the numbers are roughly equal, more or less. A strategy is therefore necessary. And every war requires a strategy. But before we talk about strategy, let's briefly discuss…

Is Geekbench indicative of a real-world experience?

The iPhone 15 Pr Max (Image source – PhoneArena)

First, we have the fact that Geekbench measures a phone's performance in a very “lab-like” way. The numbers you see on the charts don't necessarily reflect how you feel about the phone.

Flagship iPhones and flagship Galaxies feel very fast in real life. You don't notice any stuttering in any of them, games play without asking you to stop them and everything is silky smooth. On top of that, we humans don't navigate the world judging by milliseconds and dots. We don't notice them. For us, to put it poetically, the world is made up of momentsno milli- or nanoseconds and such.

We don't feel the difference of 100 or 200 points on Geekbench, especially if we are above the 3,000 mark. It's just for benchmarks. So… what else is there?

iPhone Domination: What's There But Speed

The iPhone has dominated the American smartphone market since 2009. At the end of 2023, Cupertino held an important place 57.93% market shareaccording to Explosive topics.

The American market and the iPhone (Image source – Exploding Topics)

In general, discovering why people buy products is a challenge that requires knowledge of psychology, business and marketing. One thing is certain: a company cannot truly dominate a market without strong marketing and a solid product. I'm saying here that Apple has both and is pretty good at it, and that's why people are attracted to the iPhone.

First of all, Apple offers (and has for some time) a closed ecosystem with a very high degree of exclusivity. It's almost psychological, like the “cool kids club” that almost everyone wants to be a part of. Additionally, the ecosystem offers a level of convenience and simplicity that's also very appealing: with little to no fiddling and configuration, your phone, iPad, Mac, and other Apple things are all connected to each other. others.

iPhone, iPad Air, Apple Watch

Then we enjoy a great level of privacy, which is also attractive to many people. You have security protections, such as advanced data protection, intelligent tracking prevention and many others (explore all iPhone privacy features here. Warning: very long Apple document).

On top of all that, Apple has high quality standards (so there's no foldable iPhone yet) and the company makes sure its products are top-notch and work well. Of course, any technology is susceptible to failure or problems. However, Apple generally fixes things quickly and generally prides itself on the high quality and longevity of its products.

Plus, we cover all the bases, like beautiful screens, premium design, and reliable software.

And then comes… the presentation. All the points mentioned above are impeccably integrated into Apple's marketing.

• Watch this: Apple talk: the art of supporting your products. Although this article was written four years ago, the arguments are still relevant today. Like it or not, Apple has a winning and very successful way of presenting things. Marketing lessons to consider, I would say.
  

However, it is undeniable that good marketing gains nothing if the product does not meet expectations. Apple knows this and knows what expectations to create and how to meet them. It's as much science as it is…art.

Still, it shows that the iPhone doesn't wear the crown just because it's the fastest on the market (being fast helps though). So I'm inclined to believe that the sheer power of Android can't bring it down. Even if the 8 Gen 4 manages to be faster than the A18, it's likely that many people will still be more attracted to the iPhone.