Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 2

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 — Preliminary Overview

Status: The chip has not been officially announced. The summary below reflects expectations as of early September 2025, based on consistent leaks and forecasts that may change at launch.

Positioning and Naming

Recent reports increasingly refer to the successor to today’s Snapdragon 8 Elite as Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. This aligns the “Elite” line numerically with a possible Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, keeping a split between the absolute top tier and the standard “8” tier within the same generation. The alias “8 Elite 2” still appears in some chatter, but Elite Gen 5 looks more likely.

Announcement Timing and Early Devices

The Snapdragon Summit remains the expected launch venue. Qualcomm is anticipated to unveil Elite Gen 5 there, with early devices likely from leading Chinese brands (with the Xiaomi 16 series frequently mentioned). Manufacturer roadmaps point to a late-September presentation window and October retail availability for first-wave phones.

Manufacturing Process

The baseline variant is expected on TSMC 3 nm (N3P)—an evolution from N3E that should enable modest efficiency and/or frequency gains within similar power limits. Rumors around a Samsung 2 nm alternative for select OEMs are mixed: some mention early testing or a limited “special” bin, others suggest those plans may be shelved. The consensus for now: mass-market N3P, with any 2 nm offshoots being niche and contingent on manufacturing readiness.

CPU Architecture

Qualcomm is expected to continue with custom Oryon cores and an atypical Android flagship layout that largely forgoes classic “small” cores. A 2+6 scheme is frequently cited:

• two “super cores” turboing up to ~4.61 GHz in the standard bin;

• six big cores around ~3.63 GHz.

A high-frequency “for Galaxy” bin (Samsung) allegedly pushes peaks up to ~4.74 GHz. This would reflect binning and per-OEM frequency profiles rather than architectural differences.

The goal appears to be strong, sustained single-thread peaks and stable multi-thread performance with fewer frequency dips—useful for long, heavy workloads (gaming, video encoding, CPU-side AI).

Graphics

Graphics is expected to move to Adreno 840 with a base clock near ~1.2 GHz. Versus the prior generation, leaks point to moderate headline frequency gains and more tangible efficiency improvements in extended gaming sessions—translating to higher average frame rates within similar thermal envelopes and better headroom for upscalers/effects.

NPU and On-Device AI

On-device AI remains a core focus. Figures of up to ~100 TOPS (INT-class) for the dedicated NPU circulate in leaks. While “peak” metrics vary by methodology, the direction is clear: local AI for media generation/transformation and transformer/convolution workloads with low latency, without round-trips to the cloud.

Memory, Storage, Connectivity

Expect LPDDR5X memory (high data rates, dual-channel) and UFS 4.0 storage—no upheaval anticipated before next-wave controllers mature. The modem block should be Snapdragon X80-class 5G with advanced carrier aggregation and growing NTN/satellite feature integration. Wireless networking is expected to be Wi-Fi 7 with Multi-Link and other now-standard flagship capabilities.

Performance: Early Signals

Engineering samples spotted in synthetic tests suggest notable gains:

• Geekbench 6 (alleged): single-core scores above 4,000 and multi-core 11,000+;

• AnTuTu v11: aggregate scores > 4 million.

Synthetics are indicators, not user experience. Energy claims vary across leaks—from “roughly similar power at higher performance” to “improved performance-per-watt in games.” Final frequency and power profiles will be set at launch.

Power Envelope and Thermals

The N3E → N3P evolution should give Qualcomm headroom for modest frequency increases without raising power limits. In practice, that may yield:

• more stable clocks during long gaming sessions;

• less sensitivity to thin chassis and reduced need for aggressive throttling;

• improved battery life in sustained workloads through better perf-per-watt.

Expected Devices and Market Direction

Early adopters are expected to include Xiaomi, iQOO, OnePlus, Honor, and Realme. Several first-wave flagships are rumored with very large batteries (some models 7,000 mAh+), consistent with pushes into long-duration gaming, on-device AI, and high-refresh displays.

Expected Key Specs at a Glance

• Name: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (naming may vary).

• Process: TSMC 3 nm (N3P); disputed chatter around niche 2 nm Samsung variants.

• CPU: Oryon; 2 super cores up to ~4.61 GHz (+ up to ~4.74 GHz “for Galaxy” bin), 6 big cores ~3.63 GHz.

• GPU: Adreno 840, base clock ~1.2 GHz.

• NPU: up to ~100 TOPS (indicative).

• Memory/Storage: LPDDR5X, UFS 4.0.

• Connectivity: 5G modem around X80 class, Wi-Fi 7.

• Benchmarks (early): AnTuTu > 4M; strong single-thread peaks and high multi-thread results in Geekbench.