Qualcomm presented its latest mobile platform, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, features a new in-house designed Oryon processor, which is a departure from the Kryo Arm chips used in previous models. Qualcomm claims that the Snapdragon 8 Elite is the “world’s fastest mobile processor”, apparently surpassing Apple’s A18 Pro chip used in the iPhone 16 Pro series. But we ask to see that.
A chip to compete with Apple
Built using a 3-nanometer process, like Apple’s newest chips, the Oryon processor features eight cores – two main cores and six performance cores – reaching maximum speeds of 4.32 GHz. Qualcomm also highlights the “industry’s largest shared cache”, designed to enable ultra-fast data recovery. Apart from the processor, the platform features a new Adreno GPU with a “revolutionary architecture”, which promises better performance and battery efficiency.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite is optimized for generative AI, integrating Qualcomm’s AI engine with Multimodal Gen AI, which can interpret voice, text and images in real time, helping smartphones better understand the world at hand. through their cameras.
The “8 Elite” chip also includes the Qualcomm Snapdragon X80 5G modem with support for Wi-Fi 7 and 5G.
Here are the main features of the Snapdragon 8 Elite according to the company:
- Multimodal AI Capabilities: The Snapdragon 8 Elite features advanced AI that enhances interactions with the world, providing real-time assistance through a custom multimodal AI engine for voice, text and text recognition. objects.
- Next-generation mobile gaming: It supports Unreal Engine 5.3 with full Nanite support, enabling mobile games to deliver console-quality 3D environments for immersive gaming experiences.
- Advanced Photography: With unlimited AI-driven segmentation, the Snapdragon 8 Elite analyzes more than 250 layers of an image, optimizing details for perfect photography, even in difficult lighting conditions.
- Real-world performance: The new Qualcomm Oryon processor improves web responsiveness by 62% in real-world applications compared to previous generations, delivering smoother and faster performance.
- AI Relighting for Video Calls: Real-time AI Relighting uses virtual lighting to adjust the user’s appearance during video calls, ensuring optimal lighting in all conditions.
- Smooth Gaming Experience: The Oryon CPU and Adreno GPU deliver a smooth gaming experience with breathtaking visuals, even in graphically demanding multiplayer games.
- Improved image generation: With Fast XL from Qualcomm AI Hub, users can quickly generate highly detailed and realistic images with precise elements like text.
- AI-assisted video and photo editing: Video Object Eraser and AI Keeper tools seamlessly remove unwanted elements from videos and photos, simplifying the editing process.
- AI Pet Capture: The AI Pet Capture suite allows you to take clear photos of pets, even when they’re moving, making it easy to capture their best moments.
- Wireless Audio: Qualcomm’s XPAN technology delivers uninterrupted, high-quality audio, dynamically adapting to the user’s environment, even in large spaces.
Snapdragon 8 Elite specifications
| Snapdragon 8 Elite | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU configuration | 2x 4.32 GHz (Oryon) 6x 3.53 GHz (Oryon) |
1x 3.3 GHz (Cortex-X4) 3x 3.2 GHz (Cortex-A720) 2x 3 GHz (Cortex-A720) 2x 2.3 GHz (Cortex-A520 refresh) |
1x 3.19 GHz (Cortex-X3) 2x 2.8 GHz (Cortex-A715) 2x 2.8 GHz (Cortex-A710) 3x 2.0 GHz (Cortex-A510) |
| GPU | Adreno (ray tracing support) |
Adreno (ray tracing support) |
Adreno 740 (ray tracing support) |
| DSP | Hexagon (scalar, tensor and vector merged) Mixed precision INT8/INT16 INT4 support |
Hexagon (scalar, tensor and vector merged) Mixed precision INT8/INT16 INT4 support |
Hexagon (scalar, tensor and vector merged) Mixed precision INT8/INT16 INT4 support |
| RAM support | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5X | LPDDR5X |
| Camera support | • 320MP single shot • Single 108MP with zero shutter lag • Triple 48MP camera without shutter lag • Hybrid AF • 10-bit HEIF image capture • HDR video • Dolby HDR photo • Massive multi-frame noise reduction with AI • AI-enhanced video segmentation • Super video resolution |
• 200MP single shot • Single 108MP with zero shutter lag • 64MP+36MP with zero shutter lag • Triple 36MP with zero shutter lag • Hybrid AF • 10-bit HEIF image capture • HDR video • Dolby HDR photo • Multi-frame noise reduction • Real-time semantic segmentation for photos and videos (up to 12 layers) • Super video resolution |
• 200MP single shot • Single 108MP with zero shutter lag • 64MP+36MP with zero shutter lag • Triple 36MP with zero shutter lag • Hybrid AF • 10-bit HEIF image capture • HDR video • Multi-frame noise reduction • Real-time semantic segmentation for photos and videos (up to 8 layers) • Super video resolution |
| Video capture | 8K at 60 frames per second (HDR) 4K UHD at 120 frames per second |
8K at 30 frames per second (HDR) 4K UHD at 120 frames per second |
8K at 30 frames per second (HDR) 4K UHD at 120 frames per second |
| Loading | Fast Charge 5 | Fast Charge 5 | Fast Charge 5 |
| 4G/5G modem | X80 LTE/5G (integrated) 10,000 Mbps down 3,500 Mbps up to NB-NTN (satellite) support |
X75 LTE/5G (integrated) 10,000 Mbps down 3,500 Mbps up to |
X70 LTE/5G (integrated) 10,000 Mbps down 3,500 Mbps up to |
| Other networks | Bluetooth 6.0 Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi 6/6E (802.11ax), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), 802.11a/b/g/n |
Bluetooth 5.4 Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi 6/6E (802.11ax), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), 802.11a/b/g/n |
Bluetooth 5.3 Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi 6/6E (802.11ax), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), 802.11a/b/g/n |
| Process | TSMC 3nm | TSMC 4nm (N4P) | TSMC 4nm (N4?) |
Compared to its predecessor Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the Snapdragon 8 Elite delivers 45% faster CPU performance and 44% higher power efficiency. We suspected that the American firm was going to offer a mobile version of its Snapdragon X Elite processor which was announced to be faster than Apple’s M3. But in fact, Apple’s SoC remains ahead of Qualcomm’s.
It is expected to power upcoming Android devices from brands like Google, Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi and others in the coming months. These will obviously only be the high-end models.
