When it comes to gaming on phone, chipsets do matter now. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Apple A17 Pro are both class-leading. But how do they compare when you play games in real life and not just in benchmarks. Let’s check.
Performance Basics
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is based on TSMC’s 4nm with Cortex-X4, A720, and A520 cores. Its Adreno 750 GPU is quick. Benchmarks such as 3DMark Wild Life indicate that it’s occasionally 30–50% faster than the A17. It also has support for faster memory (up to 76.8 GB/s) and Wi-Fi 7.
Apple A17 Pro is built with a 3nm process. Two efficiency and four performance cores. Its in-house GPU is not far behind in overall gaming, and on native AAA games, it’s superior. It’s more tightly optimized with iOS. Power consumption is less too.
Game-by-Game Test
Genshin Impact
- On Snapdragon (e.g., Xiaomi 14), it achieves approximately 59 FPS at 1220p. Power consumption remains low. It runs smoothly even after 30 mins.
- On A17 Pro (iPhone 15 Pro), it also reaches 59 FPS, but at 740p. But the frame rate is more consistent. Like, 99% consistency.
Resident Evil Village
- Snapdragon manages this through emulators such as Winlator on phones such as REDMAGIC 9 Pro. Not smooth, but gets the job done.
- Native support exists, thanks to A17 Pro. The entire game plays with console-grade visuals. Up-scaling is managed by MetalFX. Cleaner and more stable.
Watch Dogs 2 / NieR Replicant
- On Snapdragon, these games play fairly well through emulators. No real drops if phone is well-cooled.
- Apple A17 doesn’t natively support these yet. No tested emulator performance either.
Red Dead Redemption 2
- Snapdragon hits around 10 FPS at 720p, very low settings, through emulation. Not really playable.
- Not available on A17 Pro. No native port. Same for emulators, at least for now.
Ray Tracing Tests
- Snapdragon at about 10 FPS at 720p, very low settings, through emulation. Not playable at all.
- Not on A17 Pro. No native port. Same with emulators, at least for now.
Summary Table
| Game | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Apple A17 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Genshin Impact | 59 FPS @ 1220p, less heat | 59 FPS @ 740p, more stable |
| Resident Evil Village | Works via emulator, not perfect | Native game, smooth and clean |
| Watch Dogs 2 / NieR | Good on emulators | Not available |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 10 FPS, not playable | Not supported |
| Ray Tracing (Solar Bay) | 32 FPS | 25 FPS |
Final Take
- Snapdragon is more powerful in the GPU department and plays games well even when emulating. Better ray tracing, more overall frames.
- Apple A17 has smoother native performance when game is optimized for iOS. AAA support is better here.
- If your phone overheats, Snapdragon manages that better. iPhone remains stable for a shorter duration, but longer sessions are more badly affected by heat.
Which to Pick?
Both are strong. It mostly depends on what games you play, and how.
- Choose Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 if you are seeking maximum FPS, improved emulation, and more powerful performance in ray-traced content.
- Choose Apple A17 Pro if native AAA games are important to you and you need long-term updates, and you’re already in the iOS ecosystem.
