TL; DR
- Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is built on a 3 nm process and uses a 3rd Gen Oryon CPU that peaks at 4.6 GHz, with claimed improvements of 20% single-core, 17% multi-core, and 32% responsiveness.
- The Adreno GPU gains 23% in performance and 25% in ray tracing, supported by 18 MB of dedicated Adreno high performance memory.
- First devices to launch with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 include the Xiaomi 17 series, OnePlus 15, iQOO 15, realme GT 8 Pro, and HONOR Magic 8 Pro.
Apple’s A19 Pro held the crown for a couple of days as the fastest mobile chipset, but Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 has reclaimed the top spot and by a wide margin. Early Geekbench 6 results and Qualcomm’s brief show a platform that pushes CPU clocks, GPU ray tracing, on-device AI, connectivity, multimedia, and power efficiency all at once. Let’s take a look at the specs, benchmarks, and upcoming phones powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
CPU architecture and raw performance claims
Qualcomm’s 3rd generation Oryon CPU is the centerpiece. It packs 2x Prime Cores clocked at 4.6 GHz + 6x Performance Cores clocked at 3.63 GHz, along with 12MB L2 Cache per cluster, built on TSMC’s latest 3nm process.
In addition to 4.6 GHz maximum CPU frequency (touted as the world’s fastest mobile CPU), the 8 Elite Gen 5 brings hardware matrix acceleration, 20% single-core uplift, 17% multi-core uplift, and 32% responsiveness improvement versus the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
GPU and gaming
Qualcomm highlights substantial graphics gains: 23% GPU performance improvement and 25% better ray tracing performance. The GPU reaches 1.2 GHz clock speeds and pairs with 18 MB of dedicated Adreno high performance memory.
Qualcomm also calls out up to 10% power improvements and up to 38% faster performance in scenarios tied to this memory architecture. AI features are used to lower latency and improve networking for games (see Connectivity).
On-device AI and NPU advances
On-device agentic AI is a major sell. Qualcomm claims up to 37% NPU performance improvement and support for up to 220 tokens per second. Architectural and software additions include 64-bit memory virtualization, new INT2 and FP8 precision support, a context window up to 32K with 2-bit support, and the first continuous on-device AI learning claimed for Snapdragon.
NPU core configuration for the 8 Elite Gen 5 is 12 scalar + 8 vector + 1 tensor cores. These features are aimed at faster, more capable generative and multimodal AI workloads that run without cloud dependency. We have to wait and see how smartphone brands are able to take advantage of all this power.
One example Qualcomm showed was using AI to enhance video. Earlier, this type of enhancement was mainly for photos, letting you zoom to 30X, 40X, even 120X. Now, with the 8 Elite Gen 5, the same thing now works for video too, though I’m not sure how practical or useful it’ll actually be.
Connectivity and audio
Qualcomm positions the modem as the world’s most advanced AI-powered 5G solution with a peak 5G download claim of 12.5 Gbps. The company also calls out 30% faster AI inference for superior 5G performance, FastConnect AI optimizations for proximity and seamless connectivity, and 50% lower gaming latency when using AI-enhanced Wi-Fi. Audio improvements include untethered 24-bit 96 kHz lossless streaming, lossless calls, and AI assistant interactions.
Camera, video and audio processing
Media and imaging receive several new capabilities. Qualcomm lists the world’s first hardware APV codec, Dragon Fusion Video for a computational video pipeline, Snapdragon Audio Sense, Reflection Removal, and Night Vision 3.0. The ISP is 20-bit and promises 4X larger dynamic range versus the previous generation. These blocks aim to raise video and still capture quality and enable advanced on-device processing.
Power savings and efficiency
Qualcomm quotes platform-level power improvements versus devices running last year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite: 35% CPU power savings, 20% GPU power savings, 16% AI performance per watt improvement, and 16% overall SoC power savings. (These are Qualcomm’s comparative claims as presented.)
Quick Geekbench 6 snapshot (early scores)
The earliest Geekbench 6 figures shared on Chinese platforms place the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 well ahead in multi-core throughput.
| Chipset | Single-core | Multi-core |
| Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 | 3,846 | 12,546 |
| Snapdragon 8 Elite (prev gen) | 3,237 | 10,242 |
| MediaTek Dimensity 9500 | 3,709 | 10,716 |
| MediaTek Dimensity 9400 | 3,010 | 9,317 |
| Apple A19 Pro | 4,019 | 11,054 |
| Apple A19 | 3,849 | 10,307 |
| Apple A18 Pro | 3,605 | 9,376 |
8 Elite Gen 5 leads multi-core by a clear margin; Apple’s A19 Pro shows the strongest single-core number in this set. As for AnTuTu (note that this is V11), realme’s latest teaser claims that the score surpasses 4,000,000. We’re yet to see real-world testing.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 upcoming phones
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is expected to first debut on the Xiaomi 17 series, and other flagship models from Chinese brands, including the OnePlus 15, realme GT 8 Pro, iQOO 15, RedMagic 11 Pro, and HONOR Magic 8 Pro. OPPO, vivo, Samsung should also launch their flagships with this chipset later in the coming months.
Bottom line
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is a full-stack upgrade that aims to reclaim raw performance and push on-device AI as a defining differentiator. Benchmarks shown so far put it ahead in multi-core throughput, and Qualcomm’s feature list covers GPU ray tracing, high-bandwidth modem claims, advanced ISP and codecs, and measurable power savings. If OEMs deliver balanced thermal and software tuning, this chip will set the tone for 2026 flagships.
Note: All percentage claims were shared by Qualcomm and are framed as comparisons versus the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
FAQs: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
1. Which phones will launch with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5?
Confirmed brands include ASUS, HONOR, iQOO, nubia, OnePlus, OPPO, POCO, realme, REDMAGIC, Redmi, Samsung, Sony, vivo, Xiaomi, and ZTE. First launches are expected later in 2025.
2. How is Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 different from Snapdragon 8 Gen 3?
It’s up to 65% faster in CPU tasks, has a 20-bit ISP, supports the APV codec, and introduces on-device generative AI support, making it a generational leap rather than just an incremental update.
3. What’s the biggest upgrade over Snapdragon 8 Elite (2024)?
Key gains include 20% CPU performance, 23% GPU boost, 37% faster NPU, and computational video pipeline with APV codec support.
4. Does Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 improve gaming?
Yes. It supports Unreal Engine 5 features, has dedicated GPU cache, and reduces gaming latency by 50% with AI-optimized Wi-Fi.
5. Will Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 improve battery life?
Yes. Thanks to the 3nm process, it offers 35% CPU efficiency gains and 16% overall SoC efficiency, resulting in longer-lasting performance even under heavy workloads.
6. Can Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 run AI locally?
Yes. With INT2 precision and an upgraded NPU, it can handle large AI models, LLMs, and agentic AI tasks directly on the device without relying on cloud services.
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