Qualcomm has announced the launch of its next generation flagship mobile chip, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, packing the brand’s third generation Oryon CPU which is being touted as the “fastest mobile CPU ever.” Here’s everything else to know about the new chipset.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: Specifications
This year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, built on a 3nm node by TSMC, packs the 3rd Gen Qualcomm Oryon CPU which boosts performance by 20%. A new Qualcomm Adreno GPU architecture enhances graphics-rich gaming by 23% while the Qualcomm Hexagon NPU also offers 37% faster performance. The Oryon CPU packs 2 prime cores running at up to 4.6GHz and 6 performance cores running up to 3.62GHz clock speed.
On the connectivity front, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 integrates the Qualcomm X85 5G Modem-RF System, supporting peak download speeds of up to 12.5 Gbps and upload speeds of 3.7 Gbps.
It offers advanced carrier aggregation across mmWave and sub-6GHz bands, along with support for 5G standalone (SA), non-standalone (NSA), and 3GPP Release 18 (5G Advanced-ready) standards. Enhancements such as NTN satellite communication, Smart Transmit technology, and Qualcomm’s RF optimization suite further boost performance and efficiency. Dual SIM Dual Active (DSDA) is also supported for multi-network flexibility.
The platform also debuts the Qualcomm FastConnect 7900 system, enabling Wi-Fi 7 with speeds of up to 5.8 Gbps, alongside Bluetooth 6.0 with Low Energy support. Location capabilities are powered by the Qualcomm Location Suite with compatibility for global satellite systems including GPS, NavIC, Galileo, GLONASS, QZSS, and Beidou.
Read More: MediaTek Dimensity 9500 3nm SoC Launched with 4-lane UFS 4.1 Support and More
For imaging, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 introduces a triple 20-bit AI ISP, supporting up to 320MP single cameras and triple 48MP setups. Advanced AI-powered features include auto-exposure, auto-focus, face detection, and real-time semantic segmentation. Video capabilities extend to 4K at 120fps and 1080p slow-motion at 480fps, with support for Dolby Vision, Google Ultra HDR, HDR10+, and HLG formats. It is also the world’s first mobile platform to record in Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec, enabling professional-level video production.
In display performance, the chip supports QHD+ Resolution at 240Hz Refresh Rate and 4K+ at 120Hz for on-device screens and up to 8K at 30Hz external display output. HDR formats including Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HDR Vivid are fully supported, with 10-bit color depth and Rec. 2020 color gamut.
The Chipset is backed by LPDDR5x memory running at 5.3MHz and UFS 4.1 storage. It can support up to 24GB of RAM. Charging is powered by Qualcomm Quick Charge 5. Security enhancements include the Qualcomm 3D Sonic Sensor Max for in-display fingerprint recognition, along with multi-modal biometric authentication covering face, iris, voice, and fingerprint. The Secure Processing Unit (SPU) works alongside Qualcomm Trusted Execution Environment and Type-1 Hypervisor for added protection.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: Availability
The Xiaomi 17 series will be the first set of devices to draw power from this chipset and will launch later today in China. Other devices launching the coming days which will be powered by this chipset include the Realme GT 8 Pro, OnePlus 15, iQOO 15, Poco’s F-series devices, and even Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series which will debut early next year. Other major brands from whom you can expect 8 Elite Gen 5-powered devices include Nubia, OPPO, REDMI, RedMagic, ROG, Sony, vivo, and ZTE.
Out of these, Realme GT 8 Pro is expected to be the first smartphone to launch in India with Qualcomm’s latest processor.