Qualcomm has unveiled its latest powerhouse mobile SoC, and it’s not called the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. Qualcomm has changed the naming scheme once again. The new SoC is called the Snapdragon 8 Elite. This naming makes the new mobile chipset stand alongside the X Elite PC chipsets. That is, the new Qualcomm chips now share a similar naming scheme.
Nonetheless, with the new Snapdragon 8 Elite, Qualcomm aims to set new performance standards in the smartphone industry. The company promises great improvements over its predecessor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. It’s also expected to stiffen up the competition against the Apple A18 Pro, the SoC that powers the iPhone 16 Pro models.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Core Configuration
At the heart of the chipset are Oryon CPU cores. Qualcomm has designed these to offer remarkable processing power. Two of these cores clock in at an impressive 4.32 GHz, while six smaller cores operate at 3.53 GHz. This small and big core combination ensures balanced performance across a range of tasks. The Snapdragon 8 Elite comes with 24MB of L2 cache. Qualcomm has split it evenly between Prime and Performance cores.
Complementing the CPU is the Adreno 830 GPU, which boasts a 40% performance boost and 35% faster ray tracing acceleration over its predecessor. The GPU features three slices, each running at 1.1 GHz, ensuring support for cutting-edge graphics technologies like Unreal Engine, Nanite, and Chaos Engine. Of course, the Snapdragon 8 Elite isn’t all about performance.
Qualcomm is also promising a good efficiency boost over its predecessor. This will result in better battery life. As for the first devices with the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC, OnePlus 13, Xiaomi 15, and Honor Magic 7 Pro, Realme GT 7 Pro will be among the first. These devices will get announced shortly after the Snapdragon Summit event.
