Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 benchmarks: Qualcomm is set to launch its new flagship mobile chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, during this year’s Snapdragon Summit on September 23. Riding on the success of last year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, the new chip promises more powerful performance, better efficiency, and better AI capabilities. With leaked benchmarks already making their rounds, let’s find out what this new processor has in store for us.
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A Peculiar but Sense-Based Naming System
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 may seem confusing, but it is part of Qualcomm’s changing naming pattern. Following the 8 Gen 1, 8 Gen 2, and 8 Gen 3, the organization changed to Snapdragon 8 Elite for the fourth. With Gen 5, now, the branding is synchronizing with generational revisions. In addition to this top-of-the-line chip, Qualcomm can also introduce a less powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 and a lower-cost Snapdragon 8s Gen 5 in mid-2026.
CPU and GPU Improvements
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is still constructed on TSMC’s 3nm process but is based on the advanced N3P node, offering 5% more performance at the same power as the earlier N3E node. It also has a 2+6 CPU cluster, with two Oryon custom cores running at 3.63 GHz and six at 4.61 GHz. Samsung is said to be developing a “for Galaxy” version with even higher clock rates of up to 4.74 GHz.
In the cache department, Qualcomm is providing a significant boost by moving from 24MB to 32MB, divided between L2 and L3. In the graphics department, the new Adreno 840 GPU will run at 1.20 GHz, compared to 1.10 GHz with the Adreno 830. Rumors also indicate that the new NPU may reach up to 100 TOPS, positioning its AI processing capacity along with some notebook-class chips.
Benchmark Performance
Early Geekbench scores have also been encouraging. A Xiaomi 17 Pro, driven by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, achieved a score of 3,831 in single-core and 11,525 in multi-core tests using Geekbench 6.4. This is a big improvement over the Snapdragon 8 Elite’s scores of 3,179 and 10,114, respectively. While Apple’s A18 Pro remains supreme in single-core testing, the Snapdragon chip claims the top position in multi-core performance.
On AnTuTu, the chipset scored 4.4 million points, as per credible tipster Digital Chat Station. It is among the strongest smartphone processors to be observed so far.
Launch and First Devices
Xiaomi is likely to be the first brand to come out with a phone featuring the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, probably the Xiaomi 17 Pro. More information will be known at the Snapdragon Summit, where Qualcomm will finally unveil the chipset’s prowess and list partner devices.
Verdict: A Performance Beast in the Making
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 appears poised to recast flagship performance in 2025. With increased clock speeds, better efficiency, more powerful GPU performance, and an enormous increase in AI processing, it’s the chip to beat. Though the naming is a bit confusing, the brute performance and preliminary benchmarks confirm that Qualcomm is poised to take on Apple’s leadership in the premium smartphone space.