At the Game Developers Conference, Qualcomm unveiled its 2025 Snapdragon G Series lineup, tailored for handheld gaming devices. The new portfolio includes the Snapdragon G3 Gen 3, G2 Gen 2, and G1 Gen 2, each targeting different performance tiers.
The Snapdragon G3 Gen 3 stands out as the first G-series chip to support Unreal Engine 5’s Lumen, a dynamic global illumination and reflections system. It also introduces hardware-accelerated ray tracing, only available on G3.
Beyond these advancements, the Gen 3 chip delivers significant performance improvements. Its 8-core CPU (1x prime, 5x performance, and 2x efficiency) is 30% faster than the G3 Gen 2, while the new Adreno A32 GPU boasts a 28% performance boost.
The Snapdragon G2 Gen 2 represents a major leap over its predecessor, with a 2.3x increase in CPU performance and a remarkable 3.8x jump in GPU capabilities. The CPU features a revised core configuration (1+4+3 instead of 1+5+2).
The Adreno A22 GPU supports Snapdragon Game Super Resolution (upscaling) and Adreno Frame Motion Engine 2.0 (frame generation), both of which are also available on the A32. Both the G3 and G2 chips can power QHD+ displays at up to 144Hz.
The Snapdragon G1 Gen 2 is positioned as the budget-friendly option, primarily aimed at cloud gaming. Its new CPU (2+6) lacks a prime core but still offers an 80% performance improvement over its predecessor. The Adreno A12 GPU provides a more modest 25% performance boost, with a focus on efficiency rather than raw power.
In terms of connectivity, the G3 and G2 chips feature Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, and optional 5G support (sub-6GHz and mmWave). The G1 supports Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1, with an optional 5G variant also available.
Qualcomm announced that handheld gaming devices from brands like AYANEO, ONEXSUGAR, Retroid Pocket, and Razer, featuring the new Snapdragon G chips, will launch “this quarter.”