Snapdragon 8s Elite to Debut in iQOO and Redmi Phones

Last month, Qualcomm introduced its latest flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Now, information about a new variant, the Snapdragon 8s Elite (model number SM8735), has been revealed. This new chip offers some similarities to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 but includes notable differences.

The Snapdragon 8s Elite features a 1+3+2+2 architecture. It includes one Cortex-X4 core clocked at 3.21 GHz, three Cortex-X4 cores at 3.01 GHz, two cores at 2.80 GHz, and two more at 2.02 GHz. Unlike the Snapdragon 8 Elite, it uses Cortex-X4 cores instead of Qualcomm’s custom Oryon cores.

Graphics performance comes from the Adreno 825 GPU. This is a slight downgrade compared to the Adreno 830 GPU found in the Snapdragon 8 Elite.

Preliminary Geekbench 6 scores show a single-core score of 1967 and a multi-core score of 5827. These results were obtained from an iQOO prototype phone. While the scores are not a significant improvement over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, these are early numbers. Final retail devices will offer better performance once optimizations are complete.

The Snapdragon 8s Elite will debut in smartphones from iQOO and Redmi around April 2025. Rumors suggest that Redmi’s upcoming device will include premium features. It might have a 1.5K OLED display, a 7000mAh battery, and 90W fast charging. These specs highlight a focus on long battery life and fast charging capabilities.

Although the Snapdragon 8s Elite may not bring a groundbreaking performance boost, it offers a refined design. Its focus on efficiency and reliable performance could make it a popular choice for high-end devices.

With its expected release just months away, more details about the chipset and its performance should emerge soon. For now, the Snapdragon 8s Elite looks like an excellent option for manufacturers aiming to balance cost and quality in their flagship smartphones.