Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon 8 Elite: The fastest mobile CPU ever?
What's the story
Qualcomm has unveiled its latest high-end processor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite. The new chipset will power flagship Android smartphones and is built on a 3nm process. The processor features the Oryon CPU architecture, which was first unveiled with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite processor for PCs earlier this year. This new chip boasts significant performance and efficiency improvements over its predecessor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, marking a potential turning point for Android smartphone capabilities.
Technological leap
Snapdragon 8 Elite's performance and efficiency
The Snapdragon 8 Elite is Qualcomm's first chipset to leverage the 3nm process, a major upgrade over the previous generation's 4nm process. This tech advancement will bring major improvements in performance and power efficiency. The new processor, according to Qualcomm, will deliver a 45% boost in CPU performance and 44% increase in power efficiency over its predecessor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen3.
Chipset specs
Snapdragon 8 Elite: A look at the specifications
The Snapdragon 8 Elite packs two performance cores, each running at 4.32GHz, and six other cores clocking at 3.53GHz. It also offers a combined cache of 24MB for "insanely fast data retrieval." The Adreno 830 GPU promising a 40% performance improvement over its predecessor and a 35% faster ray tracing acceleration. Qualcomm's new flagship chip is also the first mobile CPU to offer support for Unreal Engine 5.3 and the Nanite virtualized geometry system.
Advanced features
Snapdragon 8 Elite's AI capabilities
The Snapdragon 8 Elite's new Hexagon neural processing unit (NPU) significantly boosts AI performance, enabling faster and more efficient execution of tasks. The chip also features an enhanced image signal processing (ISP) which is more deeply integrated with the new Hexagon NPU for improved HDR, natural colors, and improved autofocus performance. Qualcomm has also added chip-level photo and video semantic segmentation and video object eraser functionality.
Future integration
Snapdragon 8 Elite to power upcoming Android flagships
Completing the connectivity package is the FastConnect 7900 Mobile Connectivity System. This innovative system integrates Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and Ultra Wideband connectivity into a single 6nm chip. The Snapdragon 8 Elite will power many flagship Android smartphones launching this year and in 2025. The iQOO 13, OnePlus 13, Realme GT7 Pro, and maybe even the Samsung Galaxy S25 series are expected to come with the new chipset.