OnePlus launches its first phone to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chipset

Qualcomm was very busy this week, as the US-based chip maker announced not one but two new chipsets: Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3. Both seem to focus on AI-related features and bring numerous improvements over the previous generation of chipsets.

Specifically designed for top-tier mid-range smartphones, the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 features a 15 percent boost in CPU performance and a 45 percent GPU (graphics processing unit) improvement over the previous chipset.

The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 official announcement includes some details about the companies that will adopt the new platform. According to Qualcomm, OnePlus, Sharp, and realme are the first OEMs to launch smartphones powered by this specific chipset.

Although Qualcomm said the first commercial products equipped with Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 will be announced over the coming months, the first such product is about to hit shelves.

OnePlus has just launched the Ace 3V in China, the world’s first smartphone to pack a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 processor. The phone is already available for purchase for as low as CNY 1,999 (about $275).

Besides the powerful chipset, the One Ace 3V sports a 6.74-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, a dual camera setup (50-megapixel main sensor + 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens), and a generous 5,500 mAh battery with support for SuperVOOC charging. Unfortunately, the phone doesn't feature microSD slot, but it does come with 256/512GB internal memory.

While the OnePlus Ace 3V is exclusively available in China, an international version of the phone (OnePlus Nord CE4) is expected to be introduced on April 1.