Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 To Turbocharge More Affordable Flagships
Following up on the launch of its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 system-on-chip (SoC) in September, Qualcomm has now unveiled a non-Elite variant that aims to deliver nearly the same level of performance and features in a more affordable package. While the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 doesn't bear an 'Elite' designation, in a vacuum, this could be considered a top tier chip for Android devices.
Of course, it doesn't exist in a vacuum and we can expect that performance won't quite match its burlier sibling. We won't know for sure how things shake out until we get our hands on a device with the new chip, but we suspect the performance gap will closer to modest than monumental.
Introducing #Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, a new mobile platform that sets the standard for premium.
— Snapdragon (@Snapdragon) November 26, 2025
Unlock smarter #AI, stunning photography, epic gaming & robust connectivity, fueled by the custom-built @Qualcomm Oryon CPU for flagship experiences. Learn more: https://t.co/znb3ttboXN pic.twitter.com/igEQhGoS68
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is built on the same 3-nanometer process by TSMC as the Elite chip, and it also flexes a custom Oryon CPU with the same 2 + 6 core setup. This consists of a pair of Prime cores clocked at up to 3.8GHz with 4MB of L2 cache and six Performance cores clocked at up to 3.32GHz with 12MM of L2 cache.
To put it into perspective, the Elite model's Prime cores can hit up to 4.6GHz while the Performance cores can reach up to 3.62GHz, so we're looking at clock speed disparities of 800MHz and 300MHz, respectively.
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is an upgrade to the Snadragon 8 Gen 3. That previous generation chip features Kryo CPU with a 1 + 4 +1 configuration, including a Prime core locked at up to 3.3GHz, four Performance cores clocked at up to 2.95GHz, and an Efficiency core clocked at up to 2.1GHz.
According to Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 delivers a 36% performance improvement and 76% better web browsing responsiveness compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. It's also touting an improved hexagon NPU with up to 46% faster performance.
"This leap in processing power enables smoother multitasking, faster responsiveness, and enhanced efficiency across demanding applications. Complementing the CPU, the Qualcomm Adreno GPU features our innovative sliced architecture which unlocks higher clock speeds and boosts gaming and graphics performance by 11%," Qualcomm adds.
The Adreno 840 GPU in the non-Elite chip maintains hardware ray tracing support, as well features such as Adreno Frame Motion Engine 2.1 and Snapdragon Game Super Resolution, though it does lose the 18MB of dedicated High Performance Memory (HPM) found in the Elite chip.
Elsewhere, Qualcomm's new chip for more affordable flagships wields triple 20-bit ISPs with AI smarts, Snapdragon Audio Sense, and Night Vision with support for up to 320MP cameras, support for agentic AI assistants (naturally), and of course a 5G modem-RF system supporting mmWave and faster sub-6GHz networks.
Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 will find its way to flagship devices by global OEMs and smartphone brands such as iQOO, Honor, Meizu, Motorola, OnePlus, and others in short order.
EDIT: OnePlus confirmed in an email to us that the OnePlus 15R will be the first to feature Qualcomm's new chip.
