Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Arrives To Turbocharge AI Flagship Phones
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 has officially dropped today, and if you've been following our coverage on Qualcomm's latest mobile platform, you'll know that this SoC is a big deal. Unveiled at the Snapdragon Summit in Maui, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is poised to redefine flagship Android smartphones with a blend of raw power, advanced on-device AI, and greater connectivity.
Before we get into the chipset itself, check out our exclusive interview with Durga Malladi, Qualcomm SVP & GM, who expands on not just the new SoC but also about what to expect at the summit and Qualcomm's focus on agentic AI that the company claims is more end user-adaptable and aware than ever before.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Specs, Speeds And Feeds
Dubbed the "fastest mobile CPU in the world," Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 rocks a custom-built 3rd-gen Oryon CPU complex. Clocked at up to 4.6GHz, the Gen 5 promises up to a 35% increase in performance and a 16% overall power savings compared to its predecessor, the previous Snapdragon 8 Elite.
As expected, the new platform places a heavy emphasis on artificial intelligence. The new Hexagon NPU is reportedly 37% faster in accelerating on-device AI tasks, enabling the next generation of AI agents with better power efficiency. This is further complemented by a new Sensing Hub, which helps unlock additional agentic AI features with continuous on-device learning.
On the graphics side of things, Qualcomm's Adreno GPU now sports a sliced architecture with dedicated memory (essentially a shared L3) for the slices, which the company claims enables faster, smoother performance and optimized battery life. There's also support for hardware-accelerated ray tracing with global illumination and support for Unreal Engine 5.3's Nanite virtualized geometry system.
For photography, the new AI ISP works with the Hexagon NPU to enable segmenting of an image into over 250 layers for enhanced captures and smart editing. Features like Video Object Eraser and Truepic with C2PA for photo authentication are also part of the package.
For photography, the new AI ISP works with the Hexagon NPU to enable segmenting of an image into over 250 layers for enhanced captures and smart editing. Features like Video Object Eraser and Truepic with C2PA for photo authentication are also part of the package.
Lastly, Wi-Fi 7 connectivity has integrated AI and will reportedly offer up to 40% power savings, and Qualcomm claims its latest Wi-Fi subsystem also results in up to 50% lower latency for gaming. Qualcomm says that this is the first system to integrate Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and UWB. The X85 5G Modem on board boasts peak download speeds of up to 12.5 gigabits-per-second and upload speeds of 3.7Gbps.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Performance Expectations
Early benchmarks suggest that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is a formidable performer with some tests showing it taking a multi-core performance lead over rivals with others showing strong gains in single-core performance. However, you should definitely check out our in-house, hands-on benchmarks HotHardware Editor In Chief, Dave Altavilla was able to run live at the show.The new platform is expected to power dozens of flagship devices from global OEMs, with new smartphones launching in the coming weeks and months. Confirmed devices include the Xiaomi 17 series and the OnePlus 15, with the Samsung Galaxy S26 series also expected to feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
