Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 vs. Snapdragon 7s Gen 2: What Changed in Three Years

The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 was released in September 2023, while the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 arrived in May 2026. Both use four Cortex-A78 cores and four Cortex-A55 cores. During that time, Qualcomm increased the clock speeds, installed a faster GPU, and moved production from Samsung to TSMC, but the CPU is still based on the Cortex-A78 and A55.

In Geekbench 6, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 is approximately 7% faster in single-core testing and 15-18% faster in the multi-core test. Graphics performance improved more noticeably: the Adreno 812 is approximately 50-60% ahead of the Adreno 710. Memory and storage also affect results in specific smartphones.

The price difference can be much larger than the performance difference. In Germany, the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion with the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 costs around €202, while the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 starts at €599.90. For models not officially sold in Europe, the starting prices in their home markets are listed below.

Key Differences

The stated memory bandwidth is 25.6 GB/s for both chips. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 has a slightly higher stated maximum 5G speed. USB 2.0 also remains unchanged.

Architecture and Position in the Lineup

The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 belongs to the 7 series but is close in configuration to the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1. It has four Cortex-A78 cores, four Cortex-A55 cores, and an Adreno 710 GPU. However, the Adreno 710 was slower than the Adreno 642L in the older Snapdragon 778G. The chip was manufactured using Samsung’s 4-nanometer process.

The Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 replaced the 6 Gen 4 but received an older CPU microarchitecture. Its predecessor used the Cortex-A720 and A520, whereas the 6 Gen 5 returned to the A78 and A55. The core identifier, part 3393, in Geekbench logs also points to the Cortex-A78. Qualcomm increased the clock speeds but once again used the Cortex-A78 and A55. At the same time, the platform lost support for mmWave 5G, which was present in the 6 Gen 4, while the triple ISP was replaced with a dual ISP.

The Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 received the Adreno 812, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 6.0. However, the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max and Poco X8 Power are limited to Wi-Fi 6, so the advantage of Wi-Fi 7 is lost on these smartphones.

CPU Performance

Based on average Geekbench 6 results, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 scores 1080-1180 points in single-core testing and 3350-3500 points in multi-core testing. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 scores approximately 1015-1025 and 2690-2990 points, respectively.

The single-core gap is approximately 6-8%. In the multi-core test, the advantage reaches 15-18%. With the same core configuration, the difference is primarily explained by the higher clock speeds.

The difference will be small when launching apps and using the interface.

For comparison, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, based on the Cortex-A720, scores around 1220 points in Geekbench 6 Single. The 2026 Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 is approximately 11% slower in single-core performance.

Graphics

Graphics performance improved much more than CPU performance. In 3DMark Wild Life Extreme, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 scores approximately 1190-1214 points, compared with around 790 for the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2. The gain is approximately 50%.

AnTuTu 11 shows a comparable gap. The Poco X8 Power scores 215,763 points in the graphics subtest, compared with 133,504 for the Moto G67 Power, making the difference as high as 62%.

Both platforms maintain high stability in stress tests: the Adreno 710 retains around 98-99% of its performance, while the Adreno 812 retains around 99.7%. The gap is primarily related to the performance of the GPUs themselves rather than throttling.

The Adreno 812 allows users to select higher graphics settings or achieve a more stable frame rate. However, its performance is still insufficient for demanding games at high settings. 120 FPS is mainly achievable in less demanding esports titles.

Both GPUs provide sufficient performance for browsing, messaging, video, and undemanding games.

Results from Specific Devices

The three smartphones with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 produce similar results: the difference in AnTuTu is less than half a percent, while the Geekbench difference is a few percent.

The spread is wider among smartphones with the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2. Memory and storage also affect the overall AnTuTu result. The Moto G67 Power uses LPDDR4X and UFS 2.2, whereas the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max has faster memory and storage. In the AnTuTu memory subtest, the Moto G67 Power scores 145,758 points, compared with 267,736 for the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max.

The Redmi Note 17 Pro Max’s result in the graphics subtest stands out from the overall picture: 119,297 points versus 215,763 for the Poco X8 Power with the same processor. This result differs too much from other Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 tests, so this run is best not used as the primary reference point.

Battery Life

The power efficiency of the two SoCs cannot be compared directly using these smartphones: their batteries, displays, firmware, radio components, and power settings differ.

The Motorola Edge 50 Fusion with the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 and a 5000 mAh battery achieved 12 hours and 40 minutes of active use in the GSMArena test. The Redmi Note 17 Pro Max with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 achieved 22 hours and 31 minutes. The European version of the Redmi has a 9210 mAh battery, while other versions have 10,000 mAh batteries.

The European Redmi’s battery has approximately 84% more capacity, while its battery-life test result is approximately 78% higher. However, these figures do not show the difference in the efficiency of the processors themselves.

Qualcomm claims up to an 8% improvement in power efficiency for the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 compared with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4, but this is a comparison with a different processor and on a reference platform. Therefore, when choosing a smartphone, it is better to look at the battery-life test for the specific model rather than just the SoC and process technology.

Devices and Prices

In Europe, the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max became one of the first available smartphones with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5. The 8/256 GB version costs around €599.90, while the 8/512 GB version costs around €649 on Amazon.de.

Other smartphones with this chip are aimed at Asian markets. The Honor X80 Pro Max was released in China at a starting price of 1,999 yuan. The Poco X8 Power launched in India on September 4, 2026, starting at 35,999 rupees. In their respective markets, both models launched at significantly lower prices than the European Redmi, although a direct comparison is limited by taxes, configurations, and distribution differences.

The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 is considerably cheaper in Europe. The 2024 Motorola Edge 50 Fusion is sold in Germany for approximately €202 and remains one of the cheapest new smartphones on this platform.

The Moto G67 Power launched in India at approximately $180 converted at the time of launch, while the Moto G96 started at around $210.

The used market offers a wider selection. The Poco X6, Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G, and Edge 50 Fusion cost less than new devices with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5, and their performance is sufficient for messaging, browsing, and video. However, the software-support period should be checked before buying. For example, the Moto G67 Power is promised one Android version update and three years of security updates.

Competitors

Snapdragon 7s Gen 4. In Germany, the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ with this chip starts at €326 for the 8/256 GB version. Its processor uses the Cortex-A720 and A520, scores around 1222 points in Geekbench 6 Single, and approximately 1.05 million in AnTuTu. The Adreno 810 is close to the Adreno 812 in performance. At the same time, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 uses newer CPU cores and costs significantly less than the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max.

Snapdragon 6s Gen 4. Used, for example, in the Poco X8 and Redmi Note 17 Pro. Its performance is lower, but the devices also cost less.

Snapdragon 8 Elite. In Germany, the Poco F8 Pro starts at €456 for the 12/256 GB version. It is equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Elite, a telephoto camera, and a 6210 mAh battery. At the same time, the smartphone is approximately €144 cheaper than the base Redmi Note 17 Pro Max and much faster in both CPU and GPU performance.

Dimensity 7400 and 8400. These platforms also use newer cores from the Cortex-A720 family. They compete with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 in both CPU and graphics performance.

Which One to Choose

The Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 is faster than the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, but the three-year CPU improvement is small: approximately 7% in single-core testing and 15-18% in multi-core testing. Graphics performance improved much more-by approximately 50-60%. Memory and storage account for part of the difference between finished smartphones.

Both platforms are sufficient for social media, browsing, video, navigation, and everyday use. The main limitations appear in demanding games and tasks that are sensitive to single-core performance. The Cortex-A78 cores are noticeably slower than the newer Cortex-A720 cores, so the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 has little CPU performance headroom even compared with current mid-range chips.

Around €200 is a reasonable price for a smartphone with the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 if the display, camera, and update period are satisfactory. Above €250-300, there are already models with newer SoCs.

For the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5, a reasonable price range is approximately €300-350. In this range, the faster Adreno 812 already provides a noticeable advantage over the 6s Gen 4. Above €400, it starts competing with significantly faster platforms.

The Redmi Note 17 Pro Max’s €599.90 price puts it in a different class of competitors. It costs more than the Poco F8 Pro with the Snapdragon 8 Elite and significantly more than the Redmi Note 15 Pro+ with the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4. The weak point here is not the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 itself but the price of the specific smartphone. At €300-350, smartphones with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 would make much more sense. At €600, a smartphone with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 has too many faster alternatives.