Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 in September 2024 and under the hood, it's really the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 with higher clock speeds. It's built on the same 4nm process, features the same CPU cores and packs the same Adreno 710 GPU. So to test the chip, we benchmarked the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 on a number of tests. Now, let's see how it stacks up.
Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 AnTuTu Score
| AnTuTu V11 Benchmark | Score |
|---|---|
| Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 AnTuTu Score | 832,323 |
| CPU | 291,065 |
| GPU | 131,411 |
| Memory | 172,533 |
| UX | 237,314 |
In our first test on the Poco M8, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 scored 832,323 points on the AnTuTu V11 benchmark. Most points come from the CPU (291,065) and UX (237,314), while the GPU stands at 131,411 points.
For context, the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 processor scored 615,528 points so the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 has a solid 35% lead. That said, the chip is showing its age in 2026, if we consider rival chipsets. Basically, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 is an everyday performer for a budget 5G phone, but it's no longer a competitive mid-range chipset.
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Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 Geekbench Score
| Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 Score | Single-core | Multi-core |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 | 1,015 | 2,828 |
| Geekbench 7 | 869 | 2,838 |
Coming to raw CPU performance, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 scored 1,015 points in single-core and 2,828 points in multi-core on the Geekbench 6 CPU benchmark. That single-core score is quite interesting here. It surpasses the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4's 994 score in the single-core test, thanks to the Cortex-A78 cores running at a higher 2.4GHz clock speed.
To put it simply, for single-threaded tasks like launching apps and scrolling through the UI, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 still has an edge.
In multi-core tasks, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 is around 28% faster than the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 (2,217 points). It's a meaningful jump for multitasking and heavier background tasks. But its successor pulls ahead with 3,082 points, as we noted in our Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 benchmarks.
We also ran the newer Geekbench 7 benchmark and the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 scored 869 in single-core and 2,838 in multi-core.
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Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 CPU Throttling Test
| CPU Throttling Test (15 min) | Result |
|---|---|
| Max Performance | 246,373 GIPS |
| Average Performance | 237,996 GIPS |
| Min Performance | 190,692 GIPS |
| Throttling (Higher is better) | 94% |
In the 15-minute CPU Throttling Test, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 throttled to just 94% of its maximum performance. It peaked at 246,373 GIPS and held an average of 237,996 GIPS.
The graph shows that it holds its peak performance for almost the entire run. In effect, phones running this chip won't get hot and stutter during long sessions of light multitasking.
Interestingly, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 is thermally a better chip when compared against its successor. The Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 chip and the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 both achieve higher raw scores, but the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 throttled harder, dropping to 85% of its peak performance.
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Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 3DMark Score
| 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Best Loop Score | 862 |
| Lowest Loop Score | 853 |
| Stability | 99% |
Now, to test graphics performance, we ran the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test. The Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 posted a best loop score of 862 and a lowest loop of 853 across 20 loops with an amazing 99% stability.
The GPU is not powerful, but it's very consistent across multiple sessions. By the way, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 managed a best loop score of 968 points and MediaTek's rival Dimensity 7400 processor is further ahead with a best loop score of 1,014 points.
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Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 Speedometer 3.1 Score
In the Speedometer 3.1 benchmark, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 scored 9.66 points. For a budget chip, that's a respectable result. Web pages will load quickly and everyday browsing will feel fluid. You may notice the occasional stutter on heavier websites, but for general web browsing, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 keeps things snappy.
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Benchmark Gallery
Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 Specs
| Specification | Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 |
|---|---|
| Process Node | 4nm (Samsung) |
| CPU | Octa-core Kryo CPU |
| CPU Cores | 4x Cortex-A78 at 2.4GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 at 1.8GHz |
| GPU | Adreno 710 at 940MHz |
| NPU | Qualcomm Hexagon (AI Engine) |
| ISP | Qualcomm Spectra Triple 12-bit ISP, up to 48MP single with ZSL, 32+16MP dual, up to 200MP photo capture |
| Storage and Memory | LPDDR4X / LPDDR5 (up to 3200MHz), up to UFS 3.1 |
| Modem | Snapdragon X62 5G Modem-RF, up to 2.9Gbps download, up to 1.6Gbps upload |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 |
Verdict
The Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 is a budget chipset that does the fundamentals well. Its single-core CPU performance is pretty good for the price, its thermal stability is excellent at 94% in the throttling test and it handles everyday tasks without breaking a sweat.
The only catch is its older Adreno 710 GPU. Both the newer Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 and MediaTek's Dimensity 7400 comfortably outclass it in graphics.
If you are buying a phone like the Poco M8 primarily for social media, browsing, video and casual games, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 will serve you well. But if want better gaming support, you can pick a Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 phone. It breaks the 1-million mark on AnTuTu, as we have recorded in our Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 benchmarks. For everything else, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 gets the job done.
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