Qualcomm today introduced its latest flagship chip the Snapdragon 8 Elite for next-generation flagship phones. With this SoC, the company wants to come up with a unified naming scheme. Snapdragon 8 Elite is the successor to Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and comes with a significant upgrade over its predecessor. Qualcomm also says that Snapdragon 8 Elite is powering a new era of generative AI on smartphones.
Snapdragon 8 Elite is manufactured using TSMC’s 3nm process. The second-generation Qualcomm Oryon CPU is specifically designed to handle complex tasks with efficiency. It features an Oryon CPU with a custom eight-core design. There are two prime cores running at 4.32GHz and six perforce cores running at up to 3.53GHz. The SoC promises 45% better CPU performance and a 44% boost in power efficiency as compared to its predecessor.
The SoC features an Adreno 830 GPU. It includes three GPU slices running at 1.1GHz each and supports all modern graphics APIs. The SoC boasts 40% faster gaming performance and 35% improvements in ray tracing. It says that users can enjoy AAA-quality games on their smartphones with fluid gameplay, stunning visuals, and immersive environments. Along with superior gaming performance, users can expect smoother web browsing, faster app loading times, and an overall more responsive mobile experience.
It also supports a 24MB L2 cache and 5300MHz LPDDR5X RAM.
Generative AI is one of the most notable features of Snapdragon 8 Elite. It supports a range of AI models, including large multimodal models (LMMs), large language models, and large vision models (LVMs). The Hexagon NPU drives these AI capabilities. It brings the ability to process and understand speech, context, and images in real-time.
Snapdragon 8 Elite features a powerful Qualcomm Spectra AI Image Signal Processor (ISP) that promises to revolutionize mobile photography. It also has integrated AO to offer features like Limitless Segmentation. Users can take professional-quality photos and videos with real-time enhancements based on AI segmentation. It also supports 4K video capture at 120 FPS and 8K HDR video playback at 60 FPS. It also promises vivid images even in near-dark conditions using AI Noise Reduction in 4K60 FPS video.
Qualcomm also highlights the Video Object Eraser feature that allows users to remove unwanted elements from videos without needing any complex editing software. It also adds cryptographic seals to authenticate that photos are real, not AI-generated.
Snapdragon Sound Technology Suite is also included to offer enhanced audio features like Qualcomm aptX Lossless audio. It also supports spatial audio with head-tracking. The Expanded Personal Area Network (XPAN) technology brings uninterrupted audio connections between devices.
It is the first platform to AI-optimized 5G and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity. The Snapdragon X80 5G Modem-RF System delivers multi-gigabit speeds (up to 10 Gbps downlink and 3.5 Gbps uplink). Wi-Fi 7 support ensures users can take advantage of the fastest global Wi-Fi speeds available.
Snapdragon 8 Elite integrates advanced features to protect users’ data. The Truepic with C2PA provides cryptographic seals for photos, videos, and audio recordings,. It also includes IP protection for AI models to ensure that sensitive AI data is secure from malicious attacks.
| Category | Specifications |
|---|---|
| CPU | Qualcomm Oryon CPU (2nd Gen) – Prime Core: Up to 4.32 GHz, Performance Cores: Up to 3.53 GHz |
| GPU | Qualcomm Adreno GPU with real-time hardware-accelerated ray tracing, 40% performance improvement |
| AI Engine | Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, Qualcomm Sensing Hub, supports INT8, INT16, FP16, multimodal Gen AI |
| Camera | Qualcomm Spectra AI ISP, Triple 18-bit ISPs, 320 MP photo capture, 4K video capture at 120 FPS, 8K HDR playback at 60 FPS |
| Display | On-device: 4K @ 60 Hz, QHD+ @ 240 Hz, External: 8K @ 30 Hz, 10-bit color depth, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support |
| Audio | Qualcomm aptX Lossless, Spatial Audio with head-tracking, Qualcomm Aqstic audio codec, Expanded Personal Area Network (XPAN) |
| 5G Modem | Snapdragon X80 5G Modem-RF System, Downlink: Up to 10 Gbps, Uplink: Up to 3.5 Gbps, mmWave and Sub-6 GHz |
| Wi-Fi & Bluetooth | Qualcomm FastConnect 7900, Wi-Fi 7 (up to 5.8 Gbps), Bluetooth 6.0, LE Audio, dual Bluetooth antennas, UWB integration |
| Memory | Dual-channel LP-DDR5x, up to 24 GB, 5.3 GHz memory speed |
| Storage | UFS 4.0 |
| Charging | Qualcomm Quick Charge 5 technology |
| Security | Truepic with C2PA, IP protection for AI models |
| Gaming | 40% GPU performance boost, support for Unreal Engine 5.3, Nanite, and Chaos Physics Engine, Snapdragon Game Super Resolution |
| Process Technology | 3nm process technology |
| Location | AI-based GNSS Location Gen 3, triple frequency GNSS (L1/L2C/L5) |
Brands like OnePlus, OPPO, Vivo, Honor, Asus, and Xiaomi are expected to launch phones powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite in the coming phones. OnePlus 13, iQOO 13, Xiaomi 15 Series, and Realme GT 7 Pro are coming with this new SoC. Samsung will also launch phones with Snapdragon 8 Elite, that won’t be until early next year.
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