Last Updated on September 25, 2025
Qualcomm has announced its latest flagship chipset, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. The new generation chipset is the direct successor to the previous Snapdragon 8 Elite processor for smartphones.
The new chipset is not called Snapdragon 2 as expected. Instead, Qualcomm has opted for Gen 5 in the naming. In terms of performance, the latest silicon, built on a 3nm process, comes with a CPU performance boost of 20% over the predecessor, while power efficiency has improved by 35%. The processor runs on the third-gen Oryon CPU.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 configuration
The SoC comes with a 2+6 configuration in which two prime cores run at 4.6 GHz and six performance cores clock at 3.62 GHz. The predecessor SD 8E clocked 4.32 GHz. The new processor pairs with Adreno GPU, which improves Ray Tracing by 25%. Qualcomm claims that its power efficiency has increased by up to 16% which equals to additional 1.48 hours for gamers.
In terms of competition, it competes with MediaTek’s Dimensity 9500 and Apple’s A19 Pro whose clock speed are 4.21 GHz and 4.26 GHz, respectively. As you can see, in terms of raw figures, Snapdragon pulls ahead of both of them.
AI improvements
As we expected, the processor comes with various improvements in the AI department. It features a 37% faster Hexagon NPU with a bettered Qualcomm Sensing Hub, which enables AI assistants for higher personalized experiences.
Connectivity
It supports 12.5 Gbps 5G download speed with 50% lower gaming latency and enhanced WiFi capabilities.
Which smartphones come with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor?
Qualcomm says that Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5’s first users will be Honor, OPPO, OnePlus, Redmi, ROG, Samsung, etc. We might also see some of the OEMs, such as Samsung, use a modified version of the chipset for their flagship phones.
