Snapdragon 6 Gen 4: A Successful Chip for Smartphones Up to €250

The Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 has significantly updated Qualcomm's sixth series: the Cortex-A78 and Cortex-A55 have been replaced by the Cortex-A720 and Cortex-A520, while the graphics receive a faster Adreno 810. In terms of performance, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 sits firmly in the middle of the modern mid-range market, leaving older Snapdragon 6 models far behind.

The Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 itself is well-balanced, but it’s not worth overpaying for a smartphone equipped with it. In devices priced at €220-250, it performs convincingly. However, at prices significantly above €300, it’s advisable to look at models with Snapdragon 7 or faster Dimensities.

What Has Changed Compared to Snapdragon 6 Gen 3

The Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 features one high-performance Cortex-A720 core, three additional Cortex-A720 cores, and four power-efficient Cortex-A520 cores.

According to Qualcomm, compared to the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, CPU performance has increased by about 11%, GPU performance by up to 29%, and power consumption has decreased by around 12%.

Armv9 is better suited for modern versions of Android, new applications, and local AI functions.

The Adreno 810 has become one of the most notable improvements. It handles most games well at Full HD+, although demanding projects still require lowering the graphics settings.

Performance of Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 in Smartphones

The results from various devices show the real performance range of the chip.

The variance between devices is relatively small. CPU performance changes little, and differences in AnTuTu are more affected by memory, storage, cooling, and firmware.

For the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4, a reasonable benchmark would be around 750-780 thousand points in AnTuTu 10, 1050-1100 points in Geekbench 6 Single-Core, and approximately 3000-3100 in Multi-Core.

Gaming

The Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 is noticeably faster than the Snapdragon 695, Snapdragon 6s Gen 3, and older Helio G series. The Adreno 810 is better suited for modern games, and the new CPU cores impose fewer limitations on high frame rates.

PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: Mobile, Mobile Legends, and similar titles generally run smoothly on high settings. Some smartphones also support 90 or 120 FPS modes.

In demanding games, the performance headroom is already limited. For Genshin Impact and similar projects, it’s wiser to use medium or low settings and expect around 30-45 FPS.

Connectivity, Cameras, and AI

The Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 supports Full HD+ displays with refresh rates up to 144Hz, cameras up to 200 MP, 4K video recording at 30 FPS, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4, and 5G.

The chip also supports INT4 computing for local AI tasks. INT4 is useful for local processing of text, images, and voice, but it does not on its own make AI features the main advantage of the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4.

Smartphones and Prices

By 2026, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 is featured in several affordable models.

Realme 14 5G and Realme P3 5G are particularly interesting in terms of price. Versions with 8/256 GB can be found for about €230-250. In this price range, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 is particularly compelling.

HONOR X9d typically costs more, around €300 and above. Here, part of the price comes from the battery, protected casing, AMOLED display, and other features of the smartphone itself.

OPPO K13 5G and OPPO K12s also demonstrate similar performance but are more affected by the sales region. When purchasing an imported version, it’s important to check the LTE and 5G bands, firmware, and warranty separately.

Should You Choose Snapdragon 6 Gen 4?

The Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 is well-suited for mid-range smartphones. Its performance is sufficient for everyday tasks, social media usage, photography, multitasking, and most mobile games.

The Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 shines the brightest in smartphones priced at €200-250. At around €300, it’s worth comparing it against models equipped with Snapdragon 7 and faster Dimensities, and at prices of €350 and above, the processor ceases to be a strong selling point for the device.