Qualcomm unveiled its Snapdragon 8 Elite platform in Hawaii, and a key speaking level this 12 months is the producer’s return to {custom} cores. After practically a decade of semi-custom designs, Qualcomm is as soon as once more leveraging a totally {custom} structure, and that’s immensely thrilling.
As you possibly can think about, Qualcomm is touting heady features throughout the board with the Snapdragon 8 Elite, and with a node shift to 3nm, the chipset could be among the best we have gotten lately. Here is every part it is advisable know in regards to the Snapdragon 8 Elite, and the way it compares to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400.
Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. 8 Gen 3 vs. Dimensity 9400
Apparently, Qualcomm is altering the way it makes use of cores within the Snapdragon 8 Elite, with the platform that includes eight efficiency cores as commonplace. You do not get the standard effectivity cores that do a bulk of the mundane duties, with Qualcomm emulating MediaTek on this regard. If you wish to know extra about why Qualcomm ditched effectivity cores with this era, my colleague Michael Hicks talked to Qualcomm engineers about why it is a huge deal.
Let’s check out how the Snapdragon 8 Elite compares to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400:
| Class | Snapdragon 8 Elite | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | MediaTek Dimensity 9400 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | 2 x 4.32GHz Oryon, 6 x 3.53GHz Oryon | 1 x 3.3GHz Cortex X4, 3 x 3.2GHz Cortex A720, 3 x 3.0GHz Cortex A720, 2 x 2.0GHz Cortex A520 | 1 x 3.63GHz Cortex X925, 3 x 3.3GHz Cortex X4, 4 x 2.4GHz Cortex A720 |
| GPU | Adreno, 40% elevated efficiency over 8 Gen 3, Unreal Engine 5.3, HDR gaming | Adreno 750, Unreal Engine 5 | Arm Mali-G925 Immortalis MP12. MediaTek Body Price Converter |
| Connectivity | Qualcomm FastConnect 7900, 5.8Gbps Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, UWB | Qualcomm FastConnect 7800, 5.8Gbps Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 | 7.3Gbps Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5,4 |
| 5G Modem | X80 5G Modem, 10Gbps downlink, 3.5Gbps uplink | X75 5G Modem, 10Gbps downlink, 3.5Gbps uplink | MediaTek 3GPP Launch-17 5G modem, 7Gbps downlink, |
| DSP | Hexagon NPU, 45% elevated efficiency over 8 Gen 3, multimodal AI | Hexagon NPU | MediaTek eighth Technology NPU, Dimensity Agentic AI Engine, multimodal AI |
| Digicam options | Qualcomm Spectra AI 18-bit ISP, limitless real-time semantic segmentation, 48MP triple digital camera with zero shutter lag, 108MP single digital camera with zero shutter lag, 320MP photograph, 10-bit HEIF, Dolby HDR, HDR video, huge multi-frame noise discount with AI | Qualcomm Spectra AI 18-bit ISP, limitless real-time semantic segmentation, 36MP triple digital camera with zero shutter lag, 108MP single digital camera with zero shutter lag, 200MP photograph, 10-bit HEIF, Dolby HDR, HDR video, multi-frame noise discount | Imagiq 1090, 320MP photograph |
| Video | 8K HDR at 60fps, 4K at 120fps | 8K HDR at 30fps, 4K at 120fps | 8K HDR at 60fps, 4K at 120fps |
| Show | 4K @ 60Hz, QHD+ @ 240Hz | 4K @ 60Hz, QHD+ @ 144Hz | 4K @ 60Hz, QHD+ @ 144Hz |
| RAM | LPDDR5X, reminiscence bandwidth as much as 5.3Gbps | LPDDR5X, reminiscence bandwidth as much as 4.7Gbps | LPDDR5X, reminiscence bandwidth as much as 10Gbps |
| Manufacturing node | TSMC 3nm | TSMC 4nm | TSMC 4nm |
Qualcomm considerably boosted the clocks of its cores, with the principle cores now going as much as 4.32GHz — practically 1GHz greater than that of the 8 Gen 3. That is due to the node shift to 3nm; Qualcomm is lastly utilizing TSMC’s 3nm node, and that permits the producer to ship elevated frequencies whereas nonetheless sustaining steady thermals.
Qualcomm can also be touting heady features on the gaming facet of issues, together with a brand new neural engine, and AI-assisted tweaks to its imaging platform.
Heading again to {custom} designs with Oryon CPU
Qualcomm has been switching up the core configuration of its chipsets, and the Snapdragon 8 Elite comes with the largest shift on this regard in practically a decade. Due to using second-gen Oryon cores, Qualcomm is ready to ship unbelievable features, with the model touting an enormous 45% achieve in efficiency over the 8 Gen 3 in single-core and multi-core workloads.
What’s additionally fascinating is that the 8 Elite is 44% extra environment friendly whereas performing the identical workloads because the 8 Gen 3, and that is greater than a generational enhance. Qualcomm used semi-custom design lately, the place it could mainly license Arm cores and add a couple of {custom} options, whereas retaining Kryo branding.
Nonetheless, with the Oryon cores, Qualcomm is utilizing Arm’s architectural license; it takes the instruction set from Arm after which builds the core from the bottom up, permitting it a lot better flexibility. The return to {custom} cores offers the Snapdragon 8 Elite a sizeable benefit, and shut the hole to Apple’s silicon.
In actual fact, that is much like Apple’s strategy with its A collection chipsets, and though Qualcomm used to do the identical prior to now, we have not seen absolutely {custom} cores from the chip vendor following the Snapdragon 805. Qualcomm is as soon as once more capable of ship {custom} designs because of its acquisition of Nuvia again in 2021.
What does the change to the {custom} structure entail? Properly, Qualcomm is touting unbelievable features in efficiency over the 8 Gen 3, and that ought to make a distinction in real-world use. Qualcomm is simply utilizing two core clusters this time, and that permits the model to tailor duties with higher effectivity — we received 4 clusters final 12 months.
One other issue to think about is the 4.32GHz frequency on the principle cores; that is significantly greater than earlier years, and whereas the cores solely go as much as the utmost frequency in very brief bursts, it ought to nonetheless make a distinction.
Taking gaming to new heights with Adreno GPU
Coming to the gaming facet of issues, the Snapdragon 8 Elite switches up the naming conference as soon as once more, with Qualcomm simply going with Adreno branding with none mannequin numbers. Once more, we get heady figures, with Qualcomm touting a 40% enhance in efficiency. What’s way more fascinating is that the GPU is 40% extra environment friendly on the identical duties because the 8 Gen 3.
The GPU additionally contains elevated video reminiscence, and there is a 35% uptick in ray tracing together with the flexibility to make use of Unreal Engine 5’s Nanite engine. All of those options are undoubtedly nice, however what I am excited by understanding is how telephones with the platform deal with sustained gaming; this has been a problem on the 8 Gen 3, and whereas there was no scarcity of energy, it led to overheating and thermal constraints.
It stays to be seen if these points have been mitigated with this era, and if we really get usable titles which have ray tracing enabled.
AI as soon as once more takes middle stage
You may’t go two minutes within the tech trade with no point out of AI, and Qualcomm is rolling out a number of upgrades on this space as properly. The Hexagon NPU has a forty five% enhance in AI efficiency, together with 45% higher effectivity per watt. It integrates multimodal AI engines, together with Gemini Nano.
Whereas I do not see the purpose of cell AI simply but, what’s fascinating is how Qualcomm is leveraging machine studying into its imaging platform. The Spectra AI ISP now contains limitless real-time semantic segmentation, and that ought to ship higher portrait pictures. You get to see these advantages in movies as properly, and that is simply nice.
Coming to a telephone close to you
Xiaomi is a launch accomplice for Qualcomm, and the Xiaomi 15 is the primary telephone to characteristic the Snapdragon 8 Elite silicon globally. OnePlus is not far behind with the OnePlus 13, which is launching in China on October 31.
Honor is debuting the Magic 7 collection with the Snapdragon 8 Elite, and we’ve ASUS, Nubia, iQOO, and different producers getting in on the motion. We normally want to attend till the top of the 12 months to get gadgets based mostly on Qualcomm’s newest silicon, nevertheless it seems to be like some system makers are concentrating on an early launch, so we need not wait to get fingers on the Snapdragon 8 Elite.