In the last month of 2022, a couple of brands launched mobile phones with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. Most of these Android mobile phones will be officially available later this month. They will be the most powerful devices in the mobile phone market. For those who will want to replace their flagships, this is obviously the best time. As 2022 came to an end, we did a summary of the top models with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. This could be a reference for users who have an interest in purchasing flagships in the next few months.
Top Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phones
1. Vivo X90 Pro+
On November 22, Vivo held the X90 series press conference. While much focus was on the Vivo X90 Pro with the Dimensity 9200 chip, people had high hopes for the Vivo X90 Pro+ with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 which was released to stabilize Vivo’s high-end market.
However, in terms of sales, the performance of the Vivo X90 Pro+ is very impressive. According to reports, the sales of the X90 Pro and X90 Pro+ are four times that of the X80 Pro in the same period. In addition to the performance, another main selling point of the Vivo X90 Pro+ is the camera. The device uses a Zeiss one-inch T* main camera (IMX989), a large aperture 50mm fixed-focus master camera. It also comes with a 90mm medium telephoto portrait camera and a 48MP ultra-low distortion ultra-wide-angle camera.
Another selling point of this device is the self-developed V2 chip. With this chip, the Vivo X90 Pro+ has achieved ultra-high-speed collaboration, ultra-high-speed cache, and ultra-high energy efficiency ratio. For example, when taking pictures, it can be deeply combined with the camera lens to display delicate colours and clear dynamics frame by frame. This creates an image with an outstanding look and feel.
The third selling point is a top-level screen, a new Samsung E6 2K eye protection screen with 517ppi pixel density, 1440Hz high-frequency PWM dimming, LTPO4.0 (1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate), 1800nit local peak brightness, etc. It is quite top-notch, and it is a very good choice for users who are picky about the screen. Of course, I personally recommend its ultrasonic fingerprint, which is fast, accurate and stable. The unlocking area is large enough, so you don’t have to worry about the effort. In terms of price, the starting price of the Vivo X90 Pro+ (12GB + 256GB) is 6499 yuan ($942).
2. iQOO 11 and iQOO 11 Pro
iQOO is quite swift with updates of its mobile phones. While users are still trying to come to terms with the iQOO 9, the company is already at iQOO 11. Every update can bring a new tech, which is the ability of iQOO. This time, the iQOO 11 series not only brings the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC but also a series of upgrades.
The first is performance. In addition to the processor, the iQOO 11 series also has a combination of LPDDR5X + UFS4.0. These will become the standard combination of high-end flagships in 2023. iQOO also cooperates with NetEase’s “Tianyu” to bring mobile ray tracing tech for the first time.
The second area of upgrade is the screen. The screen of the iQOO 11 series is a 2K 144Hz Samsung E6 screen, which is infinitely close to the screen of the Vivo X90 Pro+ in terms of various parameters. The V2 has also been used in the iQOO 11 series, which will play a big role in improving product power.
This device also comes with a 200W fast charge for the Pro version. This for me is another upgrade of this device. It uses a gallium nitride mini charger and a 1.5-meter-long charging cable, which virtually improves the user experience. Of course, it also supports wireless charging, so you can charge whatever you want. In terms of price, iQOO 11 starts at 3799 yuan ($551) for 8GB + 128GB, and the iQOO 11 Pro starts at 4999 yuan ($725) for the 8GB+256GB model.
3. Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro
The Xiaomi 13 series comes with a bright metal upright frame, which is actually more pleasing with the straight-screen design. The Pro version has a curved screen, which is very flagship. In addition to performance, the Xiaomi 13 series’ natural images are also another highlight. The Xiaomi 13 Pro inherits the IMX989 1-inch outsole professional main camera of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. In addition, there is a Leica 75mm floating telephoto lens and a 115° Leica ultra-wide-angle lens. The image configuration is good, and with the Leica colour, the quality of the images taken by the Xiaomi 13 series is very unique.
In terms of price, Xiaomi 13 starts at 3,999 yuan ($580) while the Xiaomi 13 Pro starts at 4,999 yuan ($725). The starting configuration for both models is 8GB + 128 GB. You can choose according to your needs when choosing.
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4. Moto X40
A few days ago, Moto officially announced that the price of the Moto Razr 2022 folding screen mobile phone will drop by 1,000 yuan. This will bring the price of the folding screen to 4999 yuan ($725). On December 15th, the company also released the Moto X40. In addition to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, it also comes with an excellent camera department. This device comes with a 60MP main camera which is quite competitive in the price range Another selling point is the 165Hz four-curved colour screen. At present, there are not many models with four curved surfaces. The Moto X40 is one of them. The overall look and feel are good, and the screen quality is not bad. In terms of price, the Moto X40 starts at 3399 yuan ($493), and it also has a storage combination of 8GB + 128GB.
5. Nubia Z50
Nubia Z50 can be regarded as a dark horse among the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 models in 2022. The price starting at 2,999 yuan ($435) is currently unmatched by any brand. Even Moto and Redmi can not match Nubia in terms of price. In addition to the combination of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and the UFS4.0 + LPDDR5X, the main selling point of the Nubia Z50 this time is the imaging system. The brand-new 35mm custom optical system, 64MP humanistic mirror main camera + 50MPAF ultra-wide-angle macro main camera performed really well.
Another relatively strong perception is battery life. The 500 0mAh battery can last up to 35.52 hours of daily life, and the limit standby time is 30 days. Users with higher battery life requirements can focus on it. Also, although the 80W fast charge is not the fastest, the speed is sufficient. Another highlight is the 144Hz AMOLED flexible screen with decent quality.
6. Red Magic 8 Pro and Red Magic 8 Pro+
On December 26, the Red Magic 8 Pro series was officially released. Perhaps most consumers did not expect that the company will not release the Red Magic 8 this time. But that is the reality. In addition to the performance configuration, the biggest surprise of the Red Magic 8 Pro series for gamers should be this screen. It uses a 120Hz high refresh rate with 1300nit peak brightness, 10bit colour depth, 1440Hz high-frequency PWM dimming, and other massive features. These combined with the colour calibration solution and BOE’s precise adjustment ensure a very good display output.
Gamers will certainly enjoy this device with a massive improvement in the gaming experience. The battery and fast charging are also quite decent. The Pro model comes with a 6000 mAh battery with 80W fast charging. The battery life is really top-notch, and the charging speed is not slow. This charging capacity can deliver a full charge in 35 minutes. The Pro+ model chooses a 5000 mAh battery and a 165W fast charging solution. Although the battery life is not as good as the Pro, it is also one of the best in the period. It takes only 14 minutes to get a full charge.
In terms of price, the Red Magic 8 Pro 8GB + 128GB model is 3999 yuan ($580) while the Red Magic 8 Pro+ 12GB + 256GB sells for 5199 yuan ($754). Heavy gamers can focus on this device.
7. Redmi K60 Pro
The Redmi K60 Pro is the dream mobile phone for users in 2023 according to Redmi’s general manager, Liu Weibing. In the first sales report officially announced by Redmi on December 31, the sales volume of the Redmi K60 series exceeds 300,000 units in 5 minutes. In addition to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, Redmi K60 Pro also has excellent configurations in other aspects. The device comes with a 2K screen, which is a rare 2K screen in the price range.
It has 526PPI, 5000000:1 contrast ratio, DCI-P3 full-link wide colour gamut, 1400nit peak brightness, 1920Hz high-frequency PWM dimming, 16,000-level automatic brightness adjustment, and the colour depth is increased to 12bit, reaching 68.7 billion colours. This device uses the IMX800 outsole camera with better light sensitivity and high light suppression. The other two lenses are an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens and a 2MP macro lens. The Redmi K60 Pro also brings Xiaomi Imaging Brain 2.0, which has been upgraded in speed and image quality.
In addition, the Redmi K60 Pro has a large 5000 mAh battery that supports 120W fast charging, and Xiaomi Surge P1 self-developed charging chip. With this hardware, this mobile phone can get a full charge in 19 minutes. It is worth mentioning that it also supports 30W wireless charging.
In terms of price, the Redmi K60 Pro 8GB + 128GB sells for 3299 yuan ($478) while the 16GB + 512GB version goes for 4599 yuan ($667).
Conclusion
These are the top Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile phones in the market for now. They have different performances based on brand optimization. As this year starts, we expect to get more flagships with this chip. The OnePlus 11, Oppo Find X6 series, Honor Magic5 series, Meizu 20 series, and Xiaomi 13 Ultra flagships will launch this year. Moreover, the Huawei P60 series may also come with this processor.
