On March 20, 2024, Xiaomi unveiled the latest addition to its Civi series - the Civi 4 Pro.
Under Xiaomi's comprehensive strategy for high-end products, the Civi 4 Pro marks an unprecedented leap. While retaining its genes of being lightweight and stylish, it fills in the gaps by introducing metal frames and dual speakers, and even incorporates Leica imaging and a full-curved display with equal curvature. At first glance, it's almost like a youth version of the Xiaomi 14 Pro. In response, Lei Technology was invited to attend the launch event and conducted in-depth coverage (for specific details, check out Lei Technology's official WeChat account: ID: leitech).
Of course, the highlight of the all-new Civi 4 Pro is that it's the world's first flagship smartphone powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen3 processor. As Qualcomm's groundbreaking flagship processor released this year, the Snapdragon 8s Gen3's release timing, naming conventions, and product specifications have all overturned the existing understanding among tech enthusiasts. It's highly anticipated how the first smartphone to feature this processor, the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro, performs in terms of performance.
(Source: Lei Technology)
To unravel the mystery of this product's performance, Little Lei has spared no expense in purchasing a Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro this time. Let's take a look together and see how this first-generation Snapdragon 8s Gen3 chip actually performs. With Qualcomm's reputation soaring with the splendid performances of Snapdragon 8+ Gen1, Snapdragon 8 Gen2, and Snapdragon 8 Gen3, can the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro equipped with the Snapdragon 8s Gen3 chip still surprise us? (Disclaimer: This article contains no advertisements, please feel free to consume.)
Base Performance: Truly Packs a Punch
Since the focus of the test is on the chip, let's start directly with the specs.
In terms of core configuration, the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro is equipped with the Snapdragon 8s Gen3 chip based on TSMC's 4nm process technology, featuring a 4184mm² vein heat dissipation system and up to 16GB LPDDR5X RAM + 512GB UFS 4.0 flash storage.
Photo Credit: Lei Technology
The Snapdragon 8s Gen3 chip, despite its name suggesting it's a derivative of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, is actually a completely new SoC design. From the core specs, it's evident that while it shares the manufacturing process and CPU architecture with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, it isn't merely a downclocked or cut-down version, which is quite unusual.
(Source: Lei Technology)
Of course, the actual design of the Snapdragon 8s Gen3 is closer to the Snapdragon 8 Gen2. The CPU follows a "1+4+3" design, upgrading the Cortex-X3 to the more power-efficient Cortex-X4, and upgrading the A715 and A710, which compromise for 32-bit applications, to Cortex-A720. Even the efficiency cores have been upgraded.
Looking at the CPU specifications, although the frequencies of the big, middle, and small cores have decreased compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen3, and there has been some reduction in L2/L3 cache, thanks to the overall upgrade of the CPU architecture, the performance and efficiency of this processor are both highly anticipated.
(Source: Lei Technology)
The GPU in the Snapdragon 8s Gen3 isn't directly related to the GPUs in Snapdragon 8 Gen2 or Snapdragon 8 Gen3. Instead, it's built on the Adreno 730 GPU from the Snapdragon 8+ but with added hardware ray tracing features and overclocked to 1100Mhz, making the Adreno 735. Theoretically, its performance sits somewhere between the Snapdragon 8+ and Snapdragon 8 Gen2.
So, how does it actually perform? Let's dive into the tests.
First off, we utilize a range of theoretical performance testing tools to gauge the actual improvements. Considering the varying scheduling strategies of different smartphone manufacturers, we've chosen the Xiaomi 13 Pro and Xiaomi 14 Pro, both from Xiaomi, for a more direct comparison of the Snapdragon 8s Gen3's performance.
It's worth mentioning that the chip performance on the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro, a device aimed at everyday light use, should only be taken as a reference. To ensure the testing results are as reliable as possible, all the following tests were conducted on the latest version of the HyperOS system with "Performance Mode" enabled.
(Img source: Lei Technology)
First off, let's dive into the Geekbench 6 benchmark results. The Snapdragon 8s Gen3 scored 1958 in single-core and 5099 in multi-core performance.
For comparison, the Snapdragon 8 Gen2 clocked in at 2047 for single-core and 5735 for multi-core; while the Snapdragon 8 Gen3 achieved 2335 in single-core and 7390 in multi-core.
Thanks to a comprehensive upgrade in CPU architecture, the Snapdragon 8s Gen3, with a lower prime core frequency, managed to score nearly identical to the Snapdragon 8 Gen2 in single-core performance. The benchmark results are quite close to the previous flagship chip, showcasing an impressive performance.
2. GFXbench 5.0: Delivers decent performance, on par with standard flagship levels.
(Source: Lei Technology)
GFXBench is a graphics performance testing software on the Android platform, primarily assessing the graphic processing performance of devices under OpenGL and Vulkan API interfaces.
For this round of testing, we selected a continuous test comprising six major testing projects, including "Aztec High Tier" and "Manhattan 3.1 Off-screen." It can be observed that the Snapdragon 8s Gen3 indeed exhibits slightly weaker GPU performance compared to the other two, but its sustained performance release is still decent, with benchmark scores remaining at a standard flagship level.
(Source: Ray Technology)
Next up, we dove into the 3DMark graphics performance benchmarks, selecting the cross-platform tests "Wild Life" and "Wild Life Extreme". The Snapdragon 8s Gen3 scored 3051 in the "Wild Life Extreme" benchmark, achieving a stability of 93% under stress tests.
In the same testing conditions, the Snapdragon 8 Gen2's "Wild Life Extreme" score was 3720, and the Snapdragon 8 Gen3's was 5170, with both chips nearing a 99% stability rate in stress tests.
It might be due to overclocking, but the Snapdragon 8s Gen3's stability does lag a bit behind the two most recent flagship chips. However, this performance was noted in the relatively compromised Civi 4 Pro, so we anticipate seeing improvements in upcoming performance-focused releases from Redmi.
4. AnTuTu: CPU scores reached an impressive 380,000+.
(Image Source: Lei Technology)
Despite some skepticism, AnTuTu is indeed one of the most comprehensive benchmarking software in the current mobile device market.
In this test, the Snapdragon 8s Gen3 scored 380,000 points in CPU performance and 520,000 points in GPU performance, putting its actual performance close to that of the Snapdragon 8 Gen2, but still showing a noticeable gap compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen3, which aligns with Qualcomm's positioning of this chip.
From a foundational performance perspective, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is pretty solid.
Game Testing: More stable frame rates, reasonable heat generation
After evaluating theoretical performance, next up is the highly anticipated game testing.
I'm not sure if it's because of the product positioning of the Civi 4 Pro, but there aren't many media outlets that have conducted specific game performance tests. However, since I purchased the product myself, I naturally wanted to thoroughly test it.
As usual, I'll start by explaining the test environment. This test was conducted in a 25-degree Celsius air-conditioned room, with the phone connected to Wi-Fi. In the game toolbar, I selected the performance mode and set all the games that could be adjusted to high quality mode within the game center. The phone's brightness was set to 70% to see how the Snapdragon 8s Gen3 actually performs.
(Source: Lei Technology)
First up is "Honor of Kings". All three products we have on hand have been adapted for high frame rate modes of various mainstream games. We set the graphics quality to the highest and the frame rate to 120FPS.
During a gaming session of nearly half an hour, the performance of the Snapdragon 8s Gen3 was very stable, with a very smooth testing curve. There was no lag during the gameplay, which was quite impressive.
From the actual frame rates, we can also see that, even after updating to the latest version, "Honor of Kings" now exerts virtually no pressure on flagship phones. Moreover, the temperature of the whole device being ≤40 degrees and the power consumption being less than 4W also prove that the Snapdragon 8s Gen3's energy efficiency ratio is quite impressive.
2. "League of Legends: Wild Rift": The average frame rate was 119.9 FPS, with almost no frame drops.
(Image source: Ray Technology)
In the mobile version of League of Legends, we used external tools to set the game's frame rate at 120 FPS for three different devices. After two rounds of about 20 minutes of intense gameplay, the Snapdragon 8s Gen3's average frame rate was clocked at 119.9 FPS, with the frame rate curve being almost a straight line. There were only minor frame drops during character deaths and team fights.
For comparison, the Snapdragon 8 Gen2 had an average frame rate of 119.7 FPS, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen3 had an average frame rate of 120.2 FPS, showing that all three chips handled the performance smoothly.
For "Genshin Impact": The frame rate was around 60 FPS for the first 9 minutes; it's recommended to pair the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro with a cooling device.
(Image Source: Lei Technology)
Next up, let's talk about firing up "Genshin Impact".
For Snapdragon 8 Gen2 and Snapdragon 8 Gen3, running "Genshin Impact" at 864P high quality is basically a breeze with no issues. However, for Snapdragon 8s Gen3, sustaining long sessions does put a bit of strain on the overall cooling of the device.
During our run-through test in the city of Sumero, we observed that the Snapdragon 8s Gen3 could initially maintain around 60 frames per second (FPS) for the first 9 minutes. After that, frame rate fluctuations began to occur, dropping to about 40 FPS. However, as soon as the temperature slightly cooled down, the frame rate would recover, ultimately averaging out at 53.1 FPS. The overly slim and lightweight design of the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro contributes to its cooling challenges, hence, it's recommended to use it with a cooling accessory.
4. "Honkai: Star Rail": 20-minute average frame rate of 46 FPS.
(Image Credit: Lei Technology)
Finally, we come to the "test software" that has been crowned in recent years—Honkai: Star Rail. Even the Snapdragon 8 Gen2 struggles a bit under its high-quality demands.
With the high-quality GPU settings turned on, we cranked the graphics to the max and set the frame rate to 60FPS, then ran tests in the Sea of Quanta.
In practice, the Snapdragon 8s Gen3 managed to maintain around 60 frames per second for the first 5 minutes. After 16 minutes, we started to see some fluctuations in the frame rate, but it still stayed around 45 frames on average, with the final 20-minute test averaging 46 frames.
In conclusion: Qualcomm defends its mid-to-high-end presence with this 'flagship' chip.
It's fair to say Qualcomm has indeed delivered a pleasant surprise this time, not merely by cutting down the Snapdragon 8 Gen2, but by upgrading the CPU architecture to the latest version while maintaining the "1+4+3" design.
The final tests show that the CPU performance of the Snapdragon 8s Gen3 is slightly better than that of the Snapdragon 8 Gen2, while the GPU performance is slightly weaker. However, it boasts a more impressive energy efficiency ratio, ultimately marking its spot as a definitive 'flagship' chip.
(Source: Lei Jun Technology)
Of course, the CPU and GPU are not the entirety of a single SOC. Snapdragon 8s Gen3 also has reductions in peripheral configurations, such as the ISP section. Although the highest pixel support remains consistent with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the maximum support for video recording is at 4K@60 HDR, and the video decoding section supports a maximum of 4K@60FPS hardware decoding. Most of the WiFi basebands also utilize FastConnect 6700.
However, even with these reduced peripheral configurations, it still surpasses the Snapdragon 7+ Gen3, which is positioned in the 7 series. The easily debuggable Qualcomm ISP combined with core performance comparable to flagship chips indeed makes Snapdragon 8s Gen3 the preferred choice for mid-to-high-end phones focused on imaging, such as the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro.
In the foreseeable future, not only flagship devices from manufacturers like Sharp and Motorola will adopt this chip, but also high-probability inclusion in top-tier smartphones from OPPO Reno series, vivo S series, and Honor Digital series, which focus on imaging as their main selling point.
(Limited revision for natural, professional English)
Last year, although Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7+ Gen2 garnered praise, its positioning as a slightly trimmed-down version of the Snapdragon 8+ meant that the chip was destined to be costly. Moreover, the Snapdragon 7 series' positioning hindered manufacturers from implementing flexible pricing strategies.
Throughout its lifespan, the Snapdragon 7+ Gen2 only saw two products come to market. As a leader in the Android flagship market, Qualcomm has learned from this experience. This year, they've not only stabilized their reputation in the high-end market with the Snapdragon 8 Gen3 but also attempted to cover the mid-to-high-end price segment with the Snapdragon 8s Gen3. This move allows devices starting from 2500 CNY to feature the flagship Snapdragon 8 series chip, setting up a direct confrontation with the Dimensity 9200.
As the debut model of the Snapdragon 8s Gen3, the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro is a somewhat unique product. Despite being labeled as the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro, this device is essentially more like a youth version of the Xiaomi 14 Pro. It's a "unique" flagship that sacrifices wireless charging and an ultra-wide camera for excellent ergonomics and a slim body, showcasing the positioning of Snapdragon 8s Gen3 products superbly. For those interested in the Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro, please stay tuned to Reatek for in-depth experience reports to follow.
