Qualcomm has unveiled its latest flagship smartphone chip, following the highly regarded Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which powers devices like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and OnePlus 12. This announcement comes with a lot of excitement, as this new chip has the potential to significantly impact the mobile landscape.
While discussions about smartphone processors may not always spark enthusiasm, Qualcomm has certainly provided a wealth of innovations and advancements to discuss. Let’s dive into the details.
Qualcomm’s new chip has a unique designation
Firstly, we have the name to discuss. Initially anticipated to be called the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, Qualcomm’s latest mobile chip is officially named the Snapdragon 8 Elite. This renaming aligns the smartphone chips with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chipsets for laptops, although it may create some confusion for consumers transitioning from last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 to the new Snapdragon 8 Elite.
According to Qualcomm, this name change reflects the significant advancements incorporated into this year’s chip. Chris Patrick, Qualcomm’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of Mobile, emphasized that “this is a special year” for Snapdragon, indicating a tangible shift in capabilities with the advent of this chip.
How much faster is it? A tremendous amount
Now let’s explore the enhancements. Typically, smartphone processors feature a mix of performance and efficiency cores. Performance cores handle demanding tasks like gaming, while efficiency cores manage simpler background functions. For example, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 includes five performance cores, two efficiency cores, and one prime core for maximum power.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite, however, operates solely on performance cores, boasting six performance cores and two prime cores. Additionally, the clock speeds for these cores have seen a notable increase. The two prime cores can reach a clock speed of up to 4.32GHz, a sharp rise from 3.3GHz seen in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Likewise, the performance cores in the Snapdragon 8 Elite are clocked at 3.53GHz, up from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s 3.2GHz. According to Qualcomm, these changes result in an impressive 45% enhancement in overall CPU performance and a 44% boost in CPU power efficiency.
To underscore these claims, Qualcomm shared benchmark results comparing the Snapdragon 8 Elite with the previous generation and Apple’s A18 chip:
| Geekbench 6 CPU (Single) | Geekbench 6 CPU (Multi) | |
| Snapdragon 8 Elite | 3222 | 10444 |
| Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | 2333 | 7129 |
| Apple A18 | 3462 | 8564 |
In terms of single-core and multi-core performance, the Snapdragon 8 Elite significantly outperforms the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. While Apple’s A18 chip continues to lead in single-core scores, the Snapdragon 8 Elite surpasses it in multi-core performance. We look forward to conducting our own evaluations on the Snapdragon 8 Elite soon, but the preliminary data looks promising.
This complete core design has been adopted by MediaTek with its Dimensity 9300 chip and further utilized in its newer releases. Observing Qualcomm embrace this approach is quite fascinating, and the company asserts it enables “unprecedented speeds” in the smartphone segment. On paper, this setup appears to have significant potential.
And this only scratches the surface of the Snapdragon 8 Elite’s capabilities. The new Adreno GPU features a sliced architecture for the first time, which should yield roughly 40% enhancements in both performance and power efficiency. This architecture also allows for support of Unreal Engine 5’s Nanite system, heralding a new era of high graphical fidelity for mobile gaming.
A touch of AI as well
As is expected from a chip launch in 2024, advancements in artificial intelligence are also a focal point. A noteworthy enhancement is Qualcomm’s Oryon CPU, now part of the Qualcomm AI Engine, expanding the Snapdragon 8 Elite’s on-device AI capabilities that previously relied on cloud computing.
Qualcomm offered several instances, such as a multimodal AI assistant that can interpret text, voice, and images directly on the device. Additionally, improvements in photography powered by the new ISP (image signal processor) will leverage AI technology for autofocus, auto white balance, and auto exposure adjustments.
These features are intriguing, but their practical application will be dependent on manufacturers’ decisions regarding integration into their devices. For instance, while the Samsung Galaxy S25 may or may not incorporate all of these advancements, the potential is certainly impressive.
A chip to invigorate excitement
Typically, discussions surrounding smartphone chips may not be the most captivating. However, when a chip like the Snapdragon 8 Elite promises such considerable improvements in both performance and efficiency, it garners attention.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has consistently showcased excellent performance during our assessments this year, being present in many of 2024’s top Android smartphones that offer impressive processing power and battery longevity. If the Snapdragon 8 Elite fulfills Qualcomm’s claims regarding enhancements, it will surely impress users.
Anticipation is building as we expect the first devices powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite to launch in 2025, and I can’t wait to experience them first-hand.