The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is the processor that will almost certainly be inside the best smartphones in 2023, and it’s sure to be a great performer, especially given the success of the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. We used the ‘Iqoo 11, one of the very first phones to feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, to try and figure out what effect this will have on next year’s phones. Will it have more power, better efficiency? That’s what we want to know.
Rather than relying on anecdotes or a single benchmark, we put the Iqoo 11 through a series of single-day tests alongside the OnePlus 10T with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip to get a feel for it. what to expect from the new processor on a daily basis. Here is what happened.
Discover the Iqoo 11
Table of Contents
You haven’t heard of Iqoo? It’s part of Vivo, which in turn is part of BBK Electronics along with Oppo, Realme and OnePlus. I really liked the Iqoo 9T I’ve been using recently, and the Iqoo 11 is its latest phone, seen here in Legend spec with BMW Motorsport’s cool color scheme. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is the headline feature, and it’s joined by a custom image signal processor (called the V2 chip), a special cooling system, a 6.48-inch AMOLED display, and a triple camera at the back.
I compared the Iqoo 11 to the OnePlus 10T, one of the newer phones to launch with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 inside. It’s a modestly priced phone, and since Iqoo and OnePlus are both part of the BBK Electronics empire, they’re probably somewhat related software-wise. It seemed fairer than putting the Iqoo 11 up against a phone like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, which differs greatly. The Iqoo 11 has a slightly larger 5,000mAh battery compared to the OnePlus 10T’s 4,800mAh battery.
Both phones were fully updated, apps were cleared from the background when running benchmarking apps, and both started the day of testing with 100 battery capacity. %.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 compared to benchmarking apps
We don’t tend to trust benchmarking apps as a way to test pure performance, as results can be manipulated by device and manufacturer, and other factors can affect the results you get. However, for comparison purposes here, they provide an interesting insight into how the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 compares to the older Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.
The first test was 3DMark’s Wild Life Extreme Stress Test, where a challenging loop is played 20 times on the device, during which data is collected on performance, temperature, and more. In the end, the Iqoo 11 posted a “best loop” score of 3,753, and although the phone wasn’t that hot, the temperature rose throughout the test, peaking at 37 degrees Celsius. The battery showed 89% remaining after the test.
Taking the OnePlus 10T, it was immediately warmer than the Iqoo 11. According to the data, its best loop score was 2781 and the temperature peaked at 38 degrees Celsius. Interestingly, frame rates remained higher on the Iqoo 11, ranging from 12 frames per second (fps) to 27 fps, compared to 8 fps to 20 fps on the OnePlus 10T. It completed the test with 90% battery remaining.
After letting both phones cool for a while, I went back to using the Burnout Benchmark, a serious test of a phone’s performance and efficiency, while also looking at how devices can be held up due to… strangulation. The OnePlus 10T earned a compute score of 52 and a performance-per-watt score of 78.2. The Iqoo 11’s compute score was 63 and its performance score per watt was 90.9. After these tests, the battery of the OnePlus 10T was at 75% and that of the Iqoo 11 at 79%.
Our final benchmark test comes from Passmark. Its scores are slightly more comprehensive than the other tests, and you can see them all in our photos above, but here we’ll focus on the system and processor. The OnePlus 10T scored 17,158 for its system test and 8,308 for the CPU test. The battery was reduced to 73% after the end of the test. The Iqoo 11 had 77% battery remaining and scored 21,634 for the system and 10,413 for the CPU. It also beat the OnePlus 10T in all other parts of the test.
The YouTube, games and video test
The Iqoo 11’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 easily outperformed the OnePlus 10T’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 in benchmark tests, but we’re not done yet. Next, let’s look at how the chips perform during normal, everyday phone tasks, starting with streaming an hour of YouTube video. This gives us an indication of the chips’ power efficiency under normal use, as we can check how much battery has been consumed during that time.
Two identical videos from YouTube were launched on the phones, running at 1440p and looping, then playing full screen. The screens were set to maximum brightness. The OnePlus 10T started with 72% battery and finished at 66%, while the Iqoo 11 started with 77% battery and finished after an hour at 72%.
I chose to play my favorite mobile game, Asphalt 9: Legends, on both phones for 30 minutes each. Again, this is a good indication of CPU efficiency and also reveals its ability to handle high performance applications for an extended period of time. Both the Iqoo 11 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 went from 70% to 65% battery in that time frame, with the screen at full brightness and the graphics adjusted to max levels, Iqoo’s game mode was at its highest setting for the most performance.
Playing the same game on the OnePlus 10T, with the screen at full brightness and the phone’s gaming mode on the maximum Pro Gamer setting, the battery went from 64% to 53% in 30 minutes. I didn’t notice any difference between the two phones when gaming during that time frame, and neither got hot, although the OnePlus 10T was noticeably warmer to the touch at the end of the 30-minute session than the Iqoo 11.
Finally, the Iqoo 11 and OnePlus 10T were left to record video for 30 minutes at 4K resolution and 60f ps. This task was performed immediately after the gaming test, and the battery percentages remained the same at 53% for the OnePlus 10T and 64% for the Iqoo 11. Neither phone got hot at all during this test. The battery of the Iqoo 11 has been reduced to 49% and that of the OnePlus 10T to 39%.
Interestingly, the Iqoo 11’s 31-minute file was 14.7GB in size, while the OnePlus 10T’s 31-minute video was only 13.7GB – an unexpected discrepancy that might have something to do with it. see with the FAI V2 of the Iqoo 11, which is not shared by the OnePlus 10T.
Unpack test results
There’s a lot of numbers to track here, so we’ll break down the results into a more manageable format, starting with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 in the OnePlus 10T.
| Test | Score | Battery |
| 3DMark Extreme Wildlife | 2,781 best loop | -ten% |
| Burnout indicator | 52 Calculation, 78.2 per watt | -15% |
| Mean | 8,308 processors, 17,158 systems | -2% |
| YouTube 60 mins | N / A | -6% |
| 30 minute game | N / A | -11% |
| 4K/60fps video | N / A | -14% |
Then the table below shows the Iqoo 11 with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
| Test | Score | Battery |
| 3D Brand Wild Life Extreme | 3,753 best loop | -11% |
| Burnout Indicator | 63 Calculation, 90.9 per watt | -ten% |
| Mean | 10,413 processors, 21,634 systems | -2% |
| YouTube 60 mins | N / A | -5% |
| 30 minute game | N / A | -5% |
| 4K/60fps video | N / A | -15% |
You can see how the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 significantly outperformed the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in all benchmark tests, showing the performance gains when the phones are under considerable pressure. Looking at the effect of these tests on battery, the OnePlus 10T lost 58% battery in total, while the Iqoo 11 lost 48%. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 seems much more efficient than the 8+ Gen 1 when playing games and performing complex tasks in particular, but keep in mind that the differences in software, cooling and capacity of the battery can also play a role.
I’ve been using the Iqoo 11 for a few days and haven’t noticed a dramatic speed increase on phones like the Galaxy Z Flip 4, but it’s undeniably smooth and responsive, and there’s no evidence heat buildup either. Also, I expect the battery performance to improve further, as it’s only had one charge cycle so far, and the software is still learning my activity.
Given that you can’t buy the Iqoo 11 if you live in the US and you shouldn’t buy the OnePlus 10T, what does this all mean for you? The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will be found in the vast majority of high-end smartphones released in the first half of 2023, and this first test, while not particularly scientific, shows that the new chip will be slightly more efficient — and potentially significantly more. powerful for everyday use, especially if you like to play games.
It wasn’t worth upgrading a high-end 2021 smartphone to a new flagship model released in 2022, but things are looking up very good for those who held on for 2023.
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