Qualcomm takes on Apple's A18 Pro, launches Snapdragon 8 Elite, world's fastest mobile SoC

Qualcomm has officially launched its latest flagship chip, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, positioning it as the most powerful mobile system-on-a-chip (SoC) available.

With custom second-generation Oryon CPU cores clocking up to 4.32GHz, this new chip is designed to deliver top-tier performance and challenge Apple’s A18 Pro head-on. Qualcomm says the “Elite” moniker reflects the major technological strides represented by this chip, setting new benchmarks for the industry.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite brings several industry-firsts, including advanced multi-modal AI capabilities alongside major improvements in both CPU and GPU performance. Like Apple’s A18 Pro, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is built on TSMC’s 3nm process, offering a significant boost in power efficiency and processing speed.

Snapdragon 8 Elite: Specifications
At the heart of the Snapdragon 8 Elite is an octa-core CPU with two prime cores clocked at an industry-leading 4.32GHz, backed by six performance cores running at 3.53GHz.

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This chip marks a departure from the previous Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which used ARM’s Cortex cores, as Qualcomm has now shifted to its own Oryon architecture across all CPU cores. The chip also features 24MB of L2 cache and supports up to 24GB of LPDDR5x RAM, delivering a 50 per cent performance boost over its predecessor.

Graphics also get a massive upgrade, thanks to a three-core Adreno GPU clocked at 1.1GHz. Qualcomm claims a 40 per cent performance gain over the previous generation, with 40 per cent better power efficiency and 35 per cent improved ray tracing capabilities.

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This GPU is also the first mobile graphics processor to support Unreal Engine 5 Nanite, enhancing compatibility with cutting-edge gaming titles. Qualcomm’s Cognitive Image Sensing Processor further enhances photography, supporting cameras up to 320MP and 8K video recording at 60fps.

In terms of connectivity, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is equipped with the X80 5G modem and FastConnect 7900 for improved 5G performance and WiFi 7 capabilities, ensuring smooth, high-speed networking.

Snapdragon 8 Elite: AI features and performance
AI takes centre stage of the Snapdragon 8 Elite thanks to the new Hexagon NPU, which offers a 45 per cent increase in performance and energy efficiency. This NPU powers features like AI super-resolution, segmentation, and advanced on-device processing for camera and media applications.

It also supports large language models (LLMs), enabling AI-powered apps to process voice commands, generate text, and create images or audio outputs entirely on-device.

Snapdragon 8 Elite: Performance figures
Early benchmarks highlight the Snapdragon 8 Elite’s impressive power. On Geekbench, it scored 3,221 in single-core and 10,236 in multi-core tests, beating Apple’s A18 Pro in multi-core performance.

The chip also blew past the A18 Pro on AnTuTu with a staggering score of 3,014,075, thanks to superior GPU, memory, and user experience performance. Mind you, these are all numbers published by Qualcomm.

With the Snapdragon 8 Elite, Qualcomm is taking direct aim at Apple, aiming to offer not just a faster chip but a more complete package with AI-powered features, improved gaming, and enhanced connectivity.

As the chip rolls out in the next wave of flagship Android devices, Qualcomm seems ready to solidify its position as the new leader in mobile performance.