Qualcomm has introduced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, a new addition to its 8-series chipsets positioned just below the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 flagship SoC. This chip aims to deliver flagship-level performance similar to the Elite model but targets devices with a more accessible starting price.
Manufactured using a 3nm process, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 features Qualcomm’s third-generation Oryon CPU. It includes two prime cores clocked at 3.8 GHz and six performance cores running at 3.32 GHz, matching the architecture of the 8 Elite Gen 5.
Qualcomm benchmarks the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 against the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, a chip released two years ago, highlighting a 36% improvement in CPU performance, 11% better GPU output, a 46% boost in AI processing, and 13% greater overall power efficiency.
The device is equipped with the Adreno 840 GPU featuring the Frame Motion Engine 3.0, similar to the 8 Gen Elite 5, but it does not include the Adreno High-Performance Memory (HPM) found in the flagship variant.
Additionally, the chip incorporates Qualcomm’s Hexagon Neural Processing Unit (NPU), delivering a 46% improvement in AI tasks over the 8 Gen 3 and supporting advanced on-device AI and multi-modal input capabilities. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 also integrates Qualcomm’s Spectra ISP and the X80 5G Modem-RF System, the same modem featured in last year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite.
OnePlus will be the first to launch devices powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 with the upcoming OnePlus Ace 6T/15R models. Other manufacturers, including iQOO, Motorola, and vivo, are expected to announce smartphones featuring this new chipset in the near future.
