Qualcomm admits: the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 is just an “enhanced version” of the Snapdragon 695

Last week Qualcomm quietly introduced the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 chipset, and we had our suspicions about it based on the fact that it looked surprisingly similar to the Snapdragon 695 from 2021.

It turns out we were right. Qualcomm confirmed to Android Authority that “the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 is an enhanced version of Snapdragon 695 delivering improved CPU, GPU, and AI performances”. Leaving the error in the final word from that statement aside, this means that, aside from the bump in clock speed for the CPU which we’ve already mentioned in our article about the launch, Qualcomm has also improved the GPU and AI stuff in ways it hasn’t chosen to detail any further.

That is all fine and dandy, but relaunching a three-year-old chipset under a different name is a great way to confuse people even more than the convoluted naming scheme has already made them.

Still, here’s a tip that so far seems to hold water: the “s” is the weakest, then comes then ‘normal’ number chip, then the “+” is the best. We can’t say for sure how long this mental shortcut will keep working, but for now you can use it. And when you see a device rocking the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3, just remember it’s a Snapdragon 695 in disguise.