This Snapdragon chipset is going to power some of 2025’s top mid-range phones

Qualcomm has revealed its latest upcoming phone tech for 2025. The new Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chipset is designed to power a new wave of phones that don’t cost flagship money, but still want to deliver slick performance and AI features straight from the 8-series playbook. It’s a step-down from this year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, but still promises plenty of oomph.

• Read more: The best mid-range phones in 2025 reviewed and rated

Compared to last year’s Snapdragon 7-series chip, this is a big step up. The Gen 4 sees a 27% CPU boost, 30% faster graphics, and a 65% jump in AI performance. Qualcomm’s also brought over some welcome features from its top-tier chip, like Stable Diffusion image generation and on-device support for large language models. On the gaming front, it’s shaping up well too. Snapdragon Game Super Resolution is here to keep visuals sharp, and there’s a new Adaptive Performance Engine that reacts to in-game scenes in real time to balance power and performance.

Cameras also get a bump thanks to a triple 12-bit ISP. That means support for 200MP photo capture, new AI-powered auto settings, and real-time video enhancements like zoomed-in super resolution. It’s also the first Snapdragon 7-series chip with hardware-level image stabilisation for videos.

Connectivity has been beefed up too. Expect download speeds of up to 4.2Gbps on sub-6GHz 5G, plus full Wi-Fi 7 support, and new Bluetooth features like device-finding tech. Snapdragon Sound is also onboard, with XPAN wireless coverage that stretches across entire buildings and lossless music support.

This chip is set to debut in a range of mid-range smartphones coming out throughout the rest of 2025. Expect the first devices to come from Honor and Vivo, with announcements later this month.

• Related: Best AI phones: which smartphone has the best AI features?

Connor Jewiss

About

Connor is a writer for Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website. He has been writing for around nine years now across the web and in print too. Connor has attended the biggest tech expos, including CES, MWC, and IFA – with contributions as a judge on panels at them. He's also been interviewed as a technology expert on TV and radio by national news outlets including France24. Connor has experience with most major platforms, though does hold a place in his heart for macOS, iOS/iPadOS, electric vehicles, and smartphone tech. Just like everyone else around here, he's a fan of gadgets of all sorts. Aside from writing, Connor is involved in the startup and venture capital scene, which puts him at the front of new and exciting tech - he is always on the lookout for innovative products.

Areas of expertise

Mobile, macOS, EVs, smart home