Qualcomm has adopted a new naming and branding scheme for the Snapdragon 8 Series starting with the introduction of the Snapdragon 8 Elite on 22 October 2024 to hallmark the arrival of its fourth-generation flagship mobile system-on-chips. This particular chip is heaps better than the previous Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with its improved processing units and wireless communication components. It is also based on a process node that is newer than the first-generation Snapdragon X Plus and Snapdragon X Elite chips for personal computers. This article reviews the pros and cons of the Snapdragon 8 Elite by highlighting its key features and performance.
Key Features of Snapdragon 8 Elite
Snapdragon 8 Elite is fabricated based on the 3nm process technology of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. This equips it with some architectural and performance advantages over its predecessors. Note that the previous Snapdragon 8 chips from 8 Gen 1 to Gen 3 and the first generation X Plus and X Elite are based on the 4nm process node.
Qualcomm dropped the Kryo branding and replaced it with the Oryon branding for the custom Arm Cortex CPUs of its high-performing chips. This branding was first used in X Plus and X Elite chips. Nevertheless, for the Snapdragon 8 Elite, its 8-core Oryon CPU includes 2 prime cores clocked at 4.32 GHz and 6 performance cores clocked at 3.53 GHz.
Graphics processing is powered by its custom Adreno 830 integrated GPU clocked at 1.10 MHz. It is equipped with real-time hardware-accelerated ray tracing with global illumination and has native support for Unreal Engine 5.3 alongside proprietary features like Adaptative Configuration, Super Resolution, Post Processing Accelerator, and Shadow Denoiser.
The Qualcomm Hexagon neural processing unit or NPU is still designed using a fused architecture. It combines three types of artificial intelligence accelerators. These are scalar, vector, and tensor accelerators. The entire NPU works with the Oryon CPU and Adreno GPU to form the Qualcomm AI Engine. The Qualcomm Sensing Hub is a separate dual micro NPU.
Built within the Qualcomm Hexagon is the Qualcomm Spectra Image Signal Processor that powers various computational photography features. It specifically handles the processing of photos and videos taken using the on-device camera systems and enables features like high dynamic range, noise reduction, low-light photography, and face detection, among others.
Another notable feature of the Snapdragon 8 Elite is the Snapdragon X80 5G modem. This cellular module supports 5G Advanced and the more common sub-6 GHz 5G and mmWave 5G frequency standards in both standalone and non-standalone modes. It also has a dedicated AI accelerator for improving network performance, transmission range, and power efficiency.
Other wireless communication technologies built into this chip are the Qualcomm FastConnect 7900 Mobile Connectivity System that includes Wi-Fi based on the Wi-Fi 7 standard with a peak speed of 5.8 gigabits per second, an integrated dual-antenna Bluetooth in version 6.0 with support for Bluetooth Low Energy Audio, and an integrated Ultra Wideband module.
Qualcomm has packed in other features. These include the Snapdragon Sound Technology Suite that supports features like spatial audio with head tracking and adaptive and lossless audio. The chip also supports dual-channel LP-DDR5x RAM at up to 5.3 GHz and 24GB density. There is also the Qualcomm Quick Charge 5 module for fast and wireless charging.
Performance of Snapdragon 8 Elite
1. General Processing Performance
There are several Android devices that are powered by this system-on-a-chip from Qualcomm. Performance varies across these devices. For example, based on AnTuTu 10, the Xiaomi 15 Pro scored 70426 in overall CPU benchmark testing while OnePlus 13 scored 664891. This variability is one of the main disadvantages of the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
Nevertheless, in consideration of the Xiaomi 15 Pro alone, the chip is 40.77 percent faster than the 465770 CPU score of the iPhone 16 Pro Max powered by the Apple 18 Pro chip. However, based on GeekBench 6, it is 10.51 and 12.33 percent lower than its iPhone counterpart in single-core and multi-core performance benchmark testing via GeekBench 6.
The Oryon CPU of the 8 Elite is still powerful. The Xiaomi 15 Pro is 42.60 percent faster while the OnePlus 13 is 37 percent faster than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 based on AnTuTu 10. Note that the same Xiaomi 15 Pro is 9.95 percent faster than the Oppo Find X8 Pro which is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 9400.
2. Graphics Processing Performance
The same performance variability is also evident in graphics processing. The Xiaomi 15 Pro scored 1323172 while OnePlus 13 scored 1211092 in GPU benchmark testing via AnTuTu 10. This is an 8.86 percent difference. The Vivo iQOO 13 scored 1290308 while the Realme GT 7 Pro scored 1252847. This is about 2 and 5 percent difference with the Xiaomi 15 Pro.
Most would agree that the Snapdragon 8 Elite is an overkill. The 1323172 GPU score of the Xiaomi 15 Pro via AnTuTu 10 is 70.35 percent higher than the 634623 score of the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Take note that the iPhone 16 Pro Max is an impressive smartphone that does not have a problem handling graphics-demanding mobile games and photo or video editing apps.
Nevertheless, with a CPU running at high clock speeds and a new integrated GPU designed for performance, it is possible that devices based on the Snapdragon 8 Elite will be prone to excessive heat generation that can lead to overheating. The Xiaomi 15 Pro and OnePlus 13 had noticeable thermal issues when stress-tested using GeekBench 6 and 3DMark.
3. Artificial Intelligence Acceleration
The Qualcomm AI Engine is responsible for handling most on-device AI inferences. It includes the Oryon CPU, the Adreno GPU, and the Hexagon NPU. The particular Hexagon NPU is newer. It provides a 45 percent improvement in AI performance and 45 percent better performance per watt than the previous Hexagon NPU used in older Snapdragon 8 chips.
Qualcomm explained that the chip is powered by several large multimodal AI models for native generative artificial intelligence processing. These include large language models or LLMs and large vision models or LVMs. It also supports longer token inputs to equip devices with capabilities to extensively process and analyze large textual and graphical content.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite is packed with other AI accelerators. The Hexagon NPU also has an ISP for computational photography. This demonstrates an evolution in the fused architecture of Qualcomm. Separate from the AI Engine is a dual micro NPU called Sensing Hub for handling smaller AI tasks. The 5G Modem also has its dedicated AI accelerator.