Introduction

Three flagship-class chips spanning less than two years of releases make for a genuinely close contest, and the results here challenge the assumption that Qualcomm’s newer Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 should simply beat the older Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. This Dimensity 9200 Plus vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 comparison uses verified NanoReview specification and benchmark data to explain how these three chips perform in CPU work, gaming, camera processing, and connectivity, and which one actually delivers the strongest package.

1. Processor Overview

The Mediatek Dimensity 9200 Plus, announced May 2023, is an 8-core chip built on TSMC’s 4nm process: 1x Cortex-X3 at 3.35GHz, 3x Cortex-A715 at 3.0GHz, and 4x Cortex-A510 efficiency cores at 2.0GHz, paired with a large Mali-G715 Immortalis MP11 GPU.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, announced November 2022 and the oldest chip here, uses a four-tier layout also on TSMC 4nm: 1x Cortex-X3 at 3.2GHz, 2x Cortex-A715 at 2.8GHz, 2x Cortex-A710 at 2.8GHz, and 3x Cortex-A510 efficiency cores at 2.0GHz, paired with an Adreno 740 GPU.

The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, announced March 2024 and the newest chip in this comparison, uses a simpler three-tier layout on the same 4nm process: 1x Cortex-X4 at 3.0GHz, 4x Cortex-A720 at 2.8GHz, and 3x Cortex-A520 efficiency cores at 2.0GHz, paired with an Adreno 735 GPU.

Despite sitting chronologically between the two Snapdragon chips, the Mediatek Dimensity 9200 Plus’s Mali-G715 Immortalis MP11 GPU has by far the most pipelines of the three (11, versus 3 for each Snapdragon chip), a difference that shapes much of the benchmark picture below.

2. CPU Architecture & Processing Power

All three chips use ARMv9-A (the Mediatek Dimensity 9200 Plus and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 specifically ARMv9-A, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 ARMv9.2-A) with a Cortex-X-series prime core.

In Geekbench 6 single-core, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 leads with 2004, ahead of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (1923, about 4.0% lower) and the Dimensity 9200 Plus (1917, about 4.3% lower than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2). The Dimensity 9200 Plus and Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 are essentially tied here, differing by less than 0.5%.

Multi-core shows a much larger gap: the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 leads with 5311, ahead of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (5179, about 2.5% lower) and the Mediatek Dimensity 9200 Plus (4509, about 15.1% lower than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2). The Dimensity 9200 Plus’s use of only 4 total performance-class cores (1 Cortex-X3 plus 3 Cortex-A715) against the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2’s 5 (1 Cortex-X3 plus 2 Cortex-A715 plus 2 Cortex-A710) is the likely factor behind this gap.

3. GPU & Gaming Performance

This is where the Dimensity 9200 Plus’s larger GPU pays off decisively. Its Mali-G715 Immortalis MP11 has 11 pipelines and 1408 total shaders, rated at 3238.4 Gigaflops, well ahead of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2’s Adreno 740 (2089 Gigaflops) and the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3’s Adreno 735 (1689.6 Gigaflops).

Geekbench 6 GPU Compute confirms this translates into real performance: the Dimensity 9200 Plus leads clearly at 10196, about 10.2% higher than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (9254) and about 11.3% higher than the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (9159), which are themselves nearly tied with each other.

3DMark results tell an even more decisive story in the Dimensity 9200 Plus’s favor. In Steel Nomad Light, it leads at 1411, about 29.2% higher than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (1092) and 36.6% higher than the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (1033). In Solar Bay, it leads at 5769, about 8.6% higher than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (5312) and 15.6% higher than the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (4992). In Wild Life Extreme, the Dimensity 9200 Plus (3675) leads the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (3116) by about 17.9%; no Wild Life Extreme score is disclosed for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

Uniquely, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 has real-world gaming FPS data at Ultra settings, showing strong results including PUBG Mobile at 90 FPS, World of Tanks Blitz at 120 FPS, and Shadowgun Legends at 118 FPS; no equivalent gaming FPS table is supplied for the Dimensity 9200 Plus or the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3.

4. Manufacturing Process & Efficiency

All three chips share the same TSMC 4nm process node, so node size is not a differentiator here. TDP is disclosed for the Dimensity 9200 Plus (8W), Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (8.5W), and Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (7.5W), the lowest of the three.

NanoReview’s battery-life sub-scores are identical across all three at 91, suggesting comparable real-world battery behavior despite the underlying TDP differences. NanoReview’s overall composite score is also tied at 63 for all three chips.

5. RAM, Memory & Storage Support

All three chips use LPDDR5X memory. The Dimensity 9200 Plus runs at the highest frequency (4266MHz, 68.2Gb/s bandwidth), while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4200MHz, 67.2Gb/s) and Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (also 4200MHz, 67.2Gb/s) are essentially tied with each other and slightly behind the Dimensity 9200 Plus. All three support up to 24GB RAM.

Storage support is identical across all three, each supporting UFS 3.1 and UFS 4.0.

6. AI & NPU Capabilities

The Dimensity 9200 Plus uses a named MediaTek APU 690, and both Snapdragon chips use Qualcomm’s Hexagon NPU. None of the three has a disclosed TOPS figure in the supplied data, so no numeric AI performance ranking can be established, though all three confirm dedicated AI hardware is present.

7. ISP, Camera & Video Capabilities

Camera resolution favors the Dimensity 9200 Plus, which supports up to 320MP, well ahead of both Snapdragon chips’ shared 200MP limit.

Video capability favors the Snapdragon chips. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 supports 8K capture at 30FPS and 4K capture at 120FPS, with playback reaching 8K at 60FPS and 4K at 120FPS, the widest ceiling of the three. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 supports 4K capture at 60FPS and 4K playback at 120FPS. The Dimensity 9200 Plus supports 8K capture at 30FPS alongside 4K at 60FPS, a middle ground between the two Snapdragon chips. Codec support favors the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, both adding VP8 alongside H.264, H.265, AV1, and VP9; the Dimensity 9200 Plus supports H.264, H.265, AV1, and VP9 only.

8. Display Support

Both Snapdragon chips support a maximum display resolution of 3840 x 2160, higher than the Dimensity 9200 Plus’s 2960 x 1440 ceiling.

9. Modem, 5G & Connectivity

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, via its Snapdragon X70 modem, has the fastest disclosed 5G download speed at 10000 Mbps, ahead of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (6500 Mbps, also using the X70 modem despite the different download figure) and the Dimensity 9200 Plus (7900 Mbps, via its own MediaTek T800 modem).

Upload speed favors the Dimensity 9200 Plus and Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, both at 4200/3500 Mbps respectively, with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 close behind at 3500 Mbps as well, so upload speeds are broadly similar across all three.

Wi-Fi 7 is supported by all three chips, so there is no differentiation in this category. Bluetooth favors the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, at the newest version 5.4, ahead of the Dimensity 9200 Plus (5.3) and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which also lists 5.3. GNSS support is broadest on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which adds SBAS alongside GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, and NAVIC; the other two include the same list without SBAS. These are theoretical maximums; real-world network speeds depend on carrier infrastructure and will not always reach these ceilings.

10. Benchmark Comparison

All benchmark figures below use AnTuTu 11 and Geekbench 6, so comparisons are apples-to-apples.

AnTuTu 11 Total:

• Dimensity 9200 Plus: 1,811,490
• Snapdragon 8s Gen 3: 1,797,821 (Dimensity 9200 Plus leads by about 0.8%)
• Snapdragon 8 Gen 2: 1,757,044 (Dimensity 9200 Plus leads by about 3.1%)

Geekbench 6 Single-Core: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 leads with 2004, ahead of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (1923, about 4.0% lower) and Dimensity 9200 Plus (1917, about 4.3% lower than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2).

Geekbench 6 Multi-Core: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 leads with 5311, ahead of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (5179, about 2.5% lower) and Dimensity 9200 Plus (4509, about 15.1% lower than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2).

Geekbench 6 GPU Compute: Dimensity 9200 Plus leads at 10196, about 10.2% higher than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (9254) and about 11.3% higher than the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (9159).

3DMark: The Dimensity 9200 Plus leads all three disclosed sub-tests: Steel Nomad Light by 29.2-36.6%, Solar Bay by 8.6-15.6%, and Wild Life Extreme by 17.9% against the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (not disclosed for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2).

PCMark 3.0: Only disclosed for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (15,557) and Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (15,526), essentially tied; not disclosed for the Dimensity 9200 Plus.

The overall picture favors the Dimensity 9200 Plus on AnTuTu total score and every GPU-related benchmark, often by wide margins, while both Snapdragon chips clearly win single-core and multi-core CPU tests.

11. Real-World Performance

Everyday users should notice snappier single-core responsiveness on either Snapdragon chip, particularly the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

Multitaskers also benefit more from either Snapdragon chip’s multi-core lead, with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 clearly ahead of the Dimensity 9200 Plus by about 15%.

Gamers get the strongest all-round result from the Dimensity 9200 Plus, which sweeps every disclosed GPU Compute and 3DMark test by meaningful margins, though the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2’s confirmed real-world gaming FPS data is a useful data point the other two lack.

Content creators get the widest video ceiling from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (8K/60FPS playback), while the Dimensity 9200 Plus supports 8K capture, unlike the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3’s 4K-only limit.

AI users cannot be meaningfully differentiated here, since none of the three chips has a disclosed NPU TOPS figure.

Camera users benefit from the Dimensity 9200 Plus’s higher disclosed 320MP resolution versus both Snapdragon chips’ 200MP limit.

Connectivity-focused users should lean toward the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for the fastest disclosed 5G download speed and broadest GNSS support.

12. Strengths & Weaknesses

MediaTek Dimensity 9200 Plus

• Strengths: Highest AnTuTu 11 total score of the three; sweeps GPU Compute and every disclosed 3DMark test by wide margins; highest disclosed camera resolution (320MP); supports 8K video capture.
• Weaknesses: Lowest Geekbench multi-core score, trailing by up to 15%; no disclosed PCMark score; tied for the oldest disclosed Bluetooth version (5.3) with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

• Strengths: Leads Geekbench single-core and multi-core; only chip with disclosed real-world gaming FPS data; fastest disclosed 5G download speed; widest video ceiling (8K/60FPS playback); broadest GNSS support including SBAS.
• Weaknesses: Lowest AnTuTu 11 total score of the three; trails the Dimensity 9200 Plus clearly in GPU Compute and every 3DMark test; lowest disclosed camera resolution tied with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3

• Strengths: Lowest disclosed TDP (7.5W); nearly matches the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2’s multi-core and PCMark scores despite being the newest and, on paper, a step-down flagship chip; newest disclosed Bluetooth version (5.4) of the three.
• Weaknesses: Lowest AnTuTu 11 total score among the two chips it’s closest to; weakest GPU Compute and 3DMark scores of the three; lowest disclosed 5G download speed (6500 Mbps).

13. Best Processor For Different Users

• Best for Gaming: MediaTek Dimensity 9200 Plus (benchmark sweep), Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (confirmed real FPS)
• Best for AI: Not determinable from supplied data
• Best for Efficiency: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (lowest disclosed TDP)
• Best for Camera Processing: MediaTek Dimensity 9200 Plus
• Best for Connectivity: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
• Best for Balanced Performance: MediaTek Dimensity 9200 Plus

Final Verdict

This Dimensity 9200 Plus vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 comparison is one of the more decisive results in this series in the Primary Processor’s favor. The Dimensity 9200 Plus leads AnTuTu total score and sweeps every GPU-related benchmark, even though it clearly trails both Snapdragon chips in CPU-focused tests.

Final Verdict

1. MediaTek Dimensity 9200 Plus — Best Overall It leads the composite AnTuTu 11 score and dominates GPU Compute and every disclosed 3DMark test by wide margins, along with offering the highest camera resolution, making it the strongest all-round performer for anyone weighing gaming and graphics work heavily, despite trailing in multi-core CPU throughput.

2. Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 — Best For CPU Speed and Confirmed Gaming It leads Geekbench single-core and multi-core clearly and is the only chip with disclosed real-world gaming FPS data, plus the fastest 5G download speed, but trails the Dimensity 9200 Plus significantly in every GPU-focused benchmark.

3. Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 — Best For Efficiency It has the lowest disclosed TDP and stays close to the older Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in CPU benchmarks, but posts the weakest GPU Compute and 3DMark scores of the three, and the lowest AnTuTu total among the chips it competes most closely with.

Best for Gaming: MediaTek Dimensity 9200 Plus Best for AI: Not determinable from supplied data Best for Efficiency: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 Best Balanced Choice: MediaTek Dimensity 9200 Plus

Bottom Line: The Dimensity 9200 Plus is the clearest all-round winner in this comparison, leading the composite AnTuTu score by 0.8-3.1% and sweeping every GPU-focused benchmark by double-digit margins in most cases. Its weakness is multi-core CPU throughput, where both Snapdragon chips lead by a meaningful margin, particularly the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

Buyers who prioritize raw CPU multitasking speed or want confirmed real-world gaming FPS data should weigh the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, while the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 mainly offers a lower TDP in exchange for weaker GPU performance than either rival.