Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite (Gen 4)

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite (provisionally: “Gen 4”)

Snapdragon 8 Elite is the 2024/2025 flagship SoC that marks the start of Qualcomm’s “Oryon era” in smartphones. It debuts fully custom CPU cores built on a 3 nm process. The platform focuses on long, stable performance without throttling and on-device AI.

Architecture and CPU performance

The two-cluster Oryon configuration delivers a noticeable uplift in both single- and multi-threaded workloads compared to earlier 8-series chips. The prime cores boost to around 4.3 GHz, while six performance cores sustain high, stable frame rates and fast wake-up responsiveness. Large caches and the 3 nm node improve efficiency under prolonged load.

Graphics

The new Adreno 830 adds hardware ray tracing and modern graphics APIs. Revised rendering blocks smooth out FPS in demanding games and accelerate compute graphics for neural filters, mobile editing, and VFX.

Memory and storage

The LPDDR5X controller in production phones typically runs at 8533–9600 MT/s. At 9600 MT/s over a 64-bit bus the theoretical bandwidth reaches ≈76.8 GB/s, which helps both games and AI inference. Storage is UFS 4.0, speeding up app/level loads and media import/export.

Camera and video

The ISP is tuned for RAW-domain processing with AI assistance. It supports recording up to 8K HDR, as well as high frame rates in 4K for slow-mo and “cinematic” modes. There’s hardware acceleration for modern codecs, including an AV1 decoder.

Connectivity

The integrated Snapdragon X80 modem offers theoretical 5G speeds up to 10 Gbps down and 3.5 Gbps up. The FastConnect 7900 subsystem supports Wi-Fi 7 (peaks around ~5.8 Gbps) and Bluetooth 5.4; UWB is available on select devices. This combination provides low latency for online gaming and a robust channel for streaming and backups.

Real devices and indicative AnTuTu v10 scores

Actual results vary with firmware, RAM, and cooling; these are typical ranges.

• Xiaomi 15 — ≈ 2.62–2.75 M

• OnePlus 13 — ≈ 2.78–2.80 M

• realme GT 7 Pro — ≈ 2.75–2.77 M

• OPPO Find X8 Ultra — ≈ 2.78–2.80 M

• iQOO 13 — ≈ 2.80–2.81 M

• ASUS ROG Phone 9 / 9 Pro — up to ≈ 2.95–2.97 M

Fun facts

• First “mobile” Oryon generation. Oryon custom cores debuted on PCs in Snapdragon X Elite; 8 Elite brings them to mainstream smartphones.

• All performance-class cores. No “little” cores here, shifting the design toward high instantaneous and sustained performance.

• 3 nm in the 8-series. The node transition boosts frequencies and efficiency at a similar thermal envelope.

• Adreno 830 + ray tracing. Wider hardware RT support and flatter FPS thanks to updated rendering blocks.

• High memory bandwidth. LPDDR5X-9600 (64-bit) yields ≈76.8 GB/s of theoretical bandwidth.

• Efficient streaming. Hardware AV1 decoding reduces CPU load and extends playback time.

• Synthetic records. Gaming-focused models often approach ≈3 M in AnTuTu v10 with aggressive cooling.

• Sustained performance focus. Vendors strengthened thermal designs specifically for 8 Elite, cutting throttling in long runs.

Naming in the lineup

• 2021: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 — transition from the old “888/865” style to the Gen N scheme.

• 2022: Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (more efficient node) followed by 8 Gen 2.

• 2023: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

• 2024: official flagship name — Snapdragon 8 Elite (without “Gen 4”). On this page the “Gen 4” tag is used conditionally as an easy-to-grasp generation label for navigation.

• 2025: new naming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

• Lineup positioning: 8 Elite / 8 Elite Gen N — absolute flagship; 8s Gen N — streamlined “near-flagship” tier focused on value.

Positioning

Snapdragon 8 Elite targets true 2024/2025 flagships. Custom Oryon CPUs, Adreno 830 with ray tracing, fast LPDDR5X + UFS 4.0, the X80 modem, and FastConnect 7900 make it strong in gaming, mobile photography, and on-device AI.

Brief comparison with adjacent generations

Versus Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 you get higher CPU clocks and performance, plus better efficiency thanks to 3 nm and Oryon; graphics and AI compute are faster as well. The following generation — 8 Elite Gen 5 — pushed benchmarks and NPU further, but 8 Elite is the turning point that started Qualcomm’s new smartphone architecture line.