Nothing’s AI Head Explains Why The Phone 3 Features The Less Powerful Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, Admitting That It Partially Concerns Bringing Down The Price For Better Accessibility
Qualcomm’s phone partners who wanted to keep the prices of their premium smartphones as low as possible would have to resort to something other than the Snapdragon 8 Elite, and thankfully, the company introduced the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 not long after. The chipset’s release allowed the Nothing Phone 3 to feature a somewhat competitive price, but the company was adamant about labeling its latest offering a flagship device, despite the fact that it shipped with a non-flagship SoC. The firm’s AI head now sat down in an interview, explaining why the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 was chosen, and admitted that this decision had a cost-related concern behind it.
The company executive also states that the Nothing Phone 3 deviates from its competitors, and its Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 allows it to provide customers with the right experience
Nothing’s AI executive, Sélim Benayat, spoke with TechRadar’s Axel Metz and explained why the Phone 3’s internals are comprised of a Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 instead of the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Keep in mind that a Qualcomm executive mentioned that its current-generation flagship SoC would be more expensive than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 thanks to the use of in-house Oryon cores, which provide an ideal balance of performance and efficiency.
Unfortunately, these perks came at a substantial price bump, with some estimates placing a whopping $240 price per unit on the Snapdragon 8 Elite, while others claimed it cost $200. Irrespective of the figure, we can all agree that Qualcomm’s phone partners were not too thrilled about the premium they had to fork over, and Nothing would not receive any preferential treatment for the Phone 3, which is why it equipped its so-called flagship with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4.
“From a product perspective, I think we can give the experiences that we want to give with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 and [more generally] the spec sheet of the Phone 3. Obviously, it’s also helpful from a price perspective. But generally, we were more focused on what [kind of] experience we wanted to create, and therefore on what specs we needed [to facilitate that experience].”
Sélim also said that when his team discusses what component or area should be prioritized for Nothing’s next smartphone, the vote unanimously does not go towards selecting the latest and greatest chipset, though this approach would have its advantages.
“Every time there’s a debate over what should be prioritized, we go back to that principle. We’re not just chasing whatever competitors are doing – we have this philosophy of, ‘What should the interface between tech and humans look like?’ And that’s where we’re ultimately going, because we believe that, at the end of the day, [this approach will result in] features that people actually want to use.”
Nothing has yet to clarify if it will ever use a Qualcomm flagship SoC, but given that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 will use TSMC’s third-generation 3nm process, it will be slightly more expensive to produce than the Snapdragon 8 Elite. In short, if Nothing intends to introduce a $1,000 flagship to the masses next year, it can consider using the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 for its future release.
