Just 9 short months ago, Razer released the first Android gaming handheld powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon G-series chip, theRazer Edge 5G. It’s a pretty unique and niche device, which sits somewhere between a gaming phone and aSteam Deck, and in all honesty, we weren’t sure if we’d see this type of product again.
It would appear that the opposite is true, Qualcomm has just announced its next generation of G-series chips, which means we can expect a lot more Android gaming handhelds in the near future.
Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon G Series chips
While the first generation of gaming-specific SoC was limited to just one chip, the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1, the newly introduced G series will have three separate models in a good, better and best kind of fashion.
First, there’s the Snapdragon G1 Gen 1. This chip is specifically designed for cloud gaming and in-home streaming, so you might find it in future versions of devices like theLogitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld. It’s intended to be affordable and efficient and it should allow future devices to offer far superior battery life than a typical smartphone.
Then, in the middle, there’s the Snapdragon G2 Gen 1, which Qualcomm says will offer the perfect mobile gaming experience. It packs an 8(+) core Kyro CPU and an Adreno A21 GPU and it supports full 5G connectivity as well as Wi-Fi 6 and 6E.
Finally, and most excitingly, there’s the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2, which is Qualcomm’s enthusiast-grade chip that has the best of everything that the brand has to offer. If the company’s claims are accurate, this chip is set to blow theSnapdragon 8 Gen 2out of the water, at least when it comes to gaming performance.
It should offer two times the GPU performance as well as a 40 per cent uplift in CPU speed, and Qualcomm says those estimates are on the low end. In practice, it should smash the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in sustained gaming performance with up to 60 per cent higher frame rates during extended play sessions.
You might be asking yourself, does an Android gaming handheld need to be that powerful? And that’s a fair question. Currently, Android games run great on high-end smartphones, as that’s what they’re designed to run on, but Qualcomm is thinking further afield.
Many of the most popular mobile titles share a game engine with their PC and console counterparts, particularly those that offer cross-platform play likeFortnite, PUBGandWarzone. Qualcomm believes this is a trend that’s set to continue, and in theory, with mega-powerful handheld devices on the market, the fidelity of these mobile versions can be cranked up to more closely match what you’d experience on a console - which would be something quite exciting.
But there’s potentially more than just Android in store for the flagship gaming SoC. Qualcomm was coy about its future plans for other operating systems, but it mentioned it had already seen some success in its other product lines, so might we expect a Snapdragon-powered Windows gaming handheld at some point? We wouldn’t be too surprised.
Are gaming handhelds the future?
The biggest question that remains is whether these devices have the potential for mainstream success. Cloud gaming is in its infancy, with plenty of hurdles yet to overcome, and while Android-based gaming handhelds have been around for some time, they’ve yet to make it outside of niche enthusiast circles.
Qualcomm is confident that this is the way things are going, though. It likenedgaming phonesto devices like theGoogle DaydreamandSamsung Gear VR, which acted as a stopgap before theMeta Quest 2stormed in and brought VR to a mainstream audience.
In theory, it makes sense, gaming-specific handhelds will offer far better thermals and ergonomics, simply because they don’t need to fit into your pocket. Whereas gaming phones have to pull double duty as a general purpose smartphone. There’s no doubt that these new devices can, and will, offer a better experience, but whether people will be keen to invest in one remains to be seen.
Whatever the case may be, we’ll be seeing some of these devices soon enough. Qualcomm has yet to announce its partners but it has reference devices with a number of manufacturers, and the first wave of Snapdragon G series-powered handhelds will be revealed in the coming months.
