Qualcomm introduces flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip with 3rd generation Oryon cores

Qualcomm has launched its new flagship chip, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which will be the basis for future Android smartphones. Qualcomm explained that "Gen 5" refers to the fifth generation of the premium 8-series platforms after the transition to a single-digit index system. This chip replaces the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (2021), Gen 2 (2022), Gen 3 (2023) and Elite (2024).

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is manufactured using a 3nm process and features the third-generation Oryon CPU, Qualcomm’s own cores that replace the standard ARM cores. The configuration includes two Prime cores with a frequency of up to 4.6 GHz and six performance cores with a frequency of up to 3.62 GHz. Compared to the previous generation, performance has increased by 20% and energy efficiency by 35%.

The graphics subsystem is represented by the new Adreno GPU, which provides a 23% increase in performance with 20% lower power consumption. 18 MB of dedicated Adreno High Performance Memory has been added, which reduces access latency and makes games even more responsive in control.

The Hexagon NPU AI module has become 37% faster and 16% more efficient per watt. The main emphasis is on the local work of agent-based artificial intelligence directly on the device.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is also the first chip to support Advanced Professional Video (APV) in Android 16 for near-lossless video recording. ArcSoft’s new Dragon Fusion video processor creates detailed footage, adding rich colors, shadows, and high dynamic range thanks to the updated 20-bit Spectra ISP.

For audio, the Snapdragon Audio Sense system is provided. It provides professional-level recording in all conditions: HDR audio, wind noise reduction and audio zoom. Qualcomm claims that devices with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 can even replace professional microphones.

Honor, OnePlus, OPPO, Xiaomi, Samsung, Sony, vivo, ZTE and others have already officially announced that they are preparing smartphones with the new chip. The first devices based on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 should appear in the coming days.

Recall that MediaTek recently showed its competitor to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 — Dimensity 9500. The chip uses the third-generation All Big Core CPU design, which combines an ultracore with a clock frequency of 4.21 GHz, three premium cores and four performance cores, as well as quad-channel UFS 4.1 storage.