Qualcomm finally put all the rumors to rest. The chip giant just announced their next big thing, and it’s got a name that might make you scratch your head at first. Say hello to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
Wait, what happened to Gen 4? Good question. Turns out Qualcomm isn’t actually skipping anything. They’re just getting back to their original counting system that started way back in 2021.
Here’s how it actually works. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 kicked things off in 2021. Then came the Gen 2 in 2022, followed by the Gen 3. Last year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite was basically what would have been called the Gen 4. So this new chip is really the fifth one in the series. Makes sense now, right?
What Makes This Chip Special
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 specs look pretty impressive on paper. Qualcomm is sticking with their custom Oryon CPU cores, which they built themselves instead of using the usual ARM designs.
The main performance core runs at 4.6 GHz. That’s fast. But here’s where it gets interesting. Samsung’s Galaxy phones will get a special “for Galaxy” version that pushes things even further to 4.7 GHz. Talk about VIP treatment.
The graphics side gets an upgrade too. The new Adreno 840 GPU runs at 1.2 GHz, which is a bump up from the previous version. Early benchmarks suggest this thing could hit AnTuTu scores between 4.2 and 4.4 million points. Those are some serious numbers.
Qualcomm built this chip using TSMC’s N3P 3 nm node. Smaller manufacturing means better performance and less battery drain.
Xiaomi Gets First Dibs
Here’s something cool. Xiaomi already confirmed their Xiaomi 17 series will be the very first phones to run on this new processor. The lineup includes three models: the standard Xiaomi 17, the 17 Pro, and the 17 Pro Max. Interestingly, Xiaomi skipped the 16 series entirely, going straight to 17. Probably trying to keep up with Apple’s iPhone 17 series that just launched. Smart move, honestly.
When Can You Get It?
Qualcomm will show off the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 at their big Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii on September 23. That’s just over a week away.
The Xiaomi 17 phones should hit the market sometime this month too. Other big names like Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series and the OnePlus 15 will probably get this chip next year.
The Competition Heats Up
This new Qualcomm chip won’t have an easy ride. MediaTek’s Dimensity 9500 is also aiming for similar benchmark scores. Apple’s A19 Pro is already out there doing its thing in the iPhone 17 series. The mobile processor race just got more interesting.
What’s really exciting is how these flagship Android phones are going to perform once they get this new silicon under the hood. Gaming, photography, AI tasks – everything should get a nice boost.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 represents Qualcomm’s continued push to make mobile processors more powerful while keeping battery life reasonable. Whether it lives up to the hype, we’ll find out soon enough.
Also Read | Qualcomm’s Next Chip Could Hit 4.4 Million on AnTuTu
Source: Qualcomm
