Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 set the stage for the biggest Android smartphones of 2022, including Samsung’s flagship Galaxy – but it’s about to be surpassed by a better “Plus” version that’ll no doubt appear in buy-it-for-the-bragging-rights gaming phones and luxury handsets. It’s called the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, and Qualcomm says it’ll offer 10 per cent faster CPU performance, 10 per cent faster GPU clocks. Technically, Qualcomm says it’s achieved “up to 30 per cent” better power efficiency from both the CPU and GPU, and 20 per cent better AI performance per watt, but that doesn’t necessarily all transfer into more battery life – some of it’s about performance, too. Qualcomm is particularly touting better sustained performance from the new chip too – theoretically maintaining its clock speed for longer as it heats up while gaming or tapping into 5G. Of course, that all depends on how phone manufacturers decide to cool the chip. Qualcomm says it’ll live alongside that older chip, so you can probably expect a price premium.