Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: a huge leap forward

Qualcomm has lifted nan covers from its latest silicon targeted astatine top-of-the-line mobile hardware heading into 2025. And it seems nan institution is not pulling immoderate punches this clip around. The attraction is evident correct from nan sanction — Snapdragon 8 Elite.

The institution is eschewing nan emblematic “Gen” naming normal for this one, and fittingly, has served immoderate noticeable upgrades that will decidedly put nan likes of MediaTek and Apple connected a competitory alert. But conscionable really large of a leap does nan Snapdragon 8 Elite connection complete its predecessor?

We stacked nan Elite against nan Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and highlighted each nan meaningful differences to thief you discern whether an upgrade would beryllium a meaningful choice.

Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: specs

Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: CPU

Qualcomm

Qualcomm is erstwhile again reimagining nan CPU architecture for its latest silicon. The astir notable alteration is nan move to TSMC’s 3-nanometer process node for nan Snapdragon 8 Elite. Its predecessor, connected nan different hand, was based connected nan 4nm process node.

Now, nan inherent fabrication node displacement isn’t precisely a day-and-night upgrade, but nan theoretical benefits successful position of earthy capacity summation and power ratio are still very overmuch there. Plus, nan activity Qualcomm has done pinch further optimizing nan CPU and GPU cores is worthy a look this clip around.

The Snapdragon Elite marks nan debut of Qualcomm’s Oryon cores for nan mobile platform. Oryon began pinch Qualcomm’s renewed foray into nan world of Arm processors destined for Windows laptops.

The first-gen Oryon cores were custom-designed and based connected nan 4nm process, and yet made their measurement to nan marketplace pinch nan Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite and nan X Plus processors, powering nan caller breed of AI PCs.

Qualcomm is decidedly making a bold connection present by trickling down nan aforesaid silicon DNA to nan mobile platform. The gains are evident. The premier Oryon halfway wrong nan Snapdragon 8 Elite offers a highest timepiece velocity of 4.32 GHz. In comparison, nan Kryo halfway wrong its predecessor could only scope a highest wave of 3.4 GHz.

Qualcomm

This is nan second-generation Oryon halfway we are talking astir here. As acold arsenic generation-over-generation capacity gains are concerned, Qualcomm is touting a monolithic boost worthy 45% for earthy CPU firepower. Notably, nan institution is besides claiming an identical leap successful powerfulness efficiency.

Qualcomm adds that owing to nan little power uptake, users tin bask an other 2.5 hours of gaming clip connected their mobile devices. In summation to nan faster Oryon premier core, nan capacity cores aboard nan Snapdragon 8 Elite are besides faster, touting a highest timepiece velocity of 3.53GHz, compared to nan 3.2GHz wave maxima for nan Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC.

Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: GPU

Qualcomm

With nan Snapdragon 8 Elite, Qualcomm is not only pushing nan letter cover pinch CPU capacity but besides nan graphics output. To that end, nan institution has equipped its latest and top pinch nan “first-ever Adreno GPU pinch sliced architecture.”

Notably, nan GPU enhancements autumn successful nan aforesaid ballpark arsenic nan CPU improvements. The next-gen graphics motor delivers 40% higher capacity compared to its previous-gen counterpart, 1 of nan biggest leaps we person seen connected a mobile processor successful nan past fewer years.

Now, 1 would evidently deliberation that specified a leap would beryllium an absolute power hog. Well, Qualcomm says nan graphics motor aboard nan Snapdragon 8 Elite is not only beefier but it besides lifts nan power ratio by a staggering 40%, matching nan summation promised for nan earthy capacity output.

So, what’s nan concealed condiment here? Qualcomm credits nan GPU output upgrades, astatine slightest successful position of real-world gaming performance, to nan sliced architecture. This is besides nan first clip that Unreal’s Nanite graphics strategy is making its measurement to mobile devices.

Qualcomm

Specifically, we are talking astir Unreal Engine (v5.3) Nanite here, which is nan next-gen virtualized geometry strategy that relies connected caller soul mesh and next-gen rendering technology. The benefits are other specifications successful ocular assets, reduced workload connected nan graphics engine, and higher rendering efficiency.

In a nutshell, games will look much realistic, aliases arsenic Qualcomm puts it, “film-quality 3D environments for full immersion.” If you purpose to excavation into nan benefits of Unreal’s Nanite system, you tin find a assets page from Unreal here, and really it is implemented successful this Epic developer guide.

The Adreno GPU aboard nan Snapdragon 8 Elite besides supports nan Unreal Chaos Physics Engine, which is touted to service hyper-realistic frames and visuals successful games. Technically, this is simply a physics simulation motor that was developed successful collaboration pinch Intel and has already been implemented successful games specified arsenic Fortnite.

The Adreno Frame Motion tech has been upgraded to type 2.1 connected nan Snapdragon 8 Elite. Qualcomm hasn’t said overmuch astir nan games that are drafting nan benefits of these Unreal enhancements, but it would beryllium absorbing to spot really they push nan limits of gaming connected mobile platforms.

A comparison pinch Apple is besides inevitable, particularly successful nan purview of nan progress Apple has made pinch Metal architecture to push AAA games specified arsenic Death Stranding and Resident Evil: Village connected nan iPhone and iPad.

We will update this communicative arsenic crippled developers denote nan activity they’ve done successful business pinch Qualcomm to refine nan gaming acquisition connected mobile devices powered by nan Snapdragon 8 Elite silicon.

Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: camera

Andrew Martonik / Digital Trends

In summation to nan expected CPU and GPU enhancements, nan Snapdragon 8 Elite besides stretches nan boundaries of what mobile cameras tin accomplish, acknowledgment to support from AI. On nan Snapdragon 8 Elite, Qualcomm is pushing a triple 18-bit AI ISP, a awesome displacement from nan Cognitive ISP shipping aboard nan Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC.

Thanks to nan updated ISP format, location are upgrades successful statement for image arsenic good arsenic video capture. The astir notable upgrade is support for limitless (technically, a highest of 250) layers toward semantic segmentation, while nan Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s ISP was constricted to 12 layers.

This could beryllium to beryllium a game-changer. To start, segmentation is fundamentally nan ISP’s expertise to place objects successful a frame, for illustration a person, an animal, faces, foliage, texture, ground, sky, assemblage parts, inanimate objects, tegument reside characteristics, and more.

Qualcomm

The halfway thought present is that based connected nan entity identified successful a frame, nan algorithmic changes pertaining to colour chemistry, bokeh effect, highlights, and shadows are accordingly applied. In a nutshell, it tunes nan full image to present nan astir meticulous output, by adjusting variables specified arsenic blur, taxable separation, and more.

Moreover, since nan ISP has a much granular knowing of nan objects successful a frame, it will besides theoretically beryllium capable to connection a much meticulous and divers group of beautification and creator filters.

So far, nan image awesome processors, moreover connected Qualcomm’s flagship mobile processors person been constricted to 12 layers astatine best, arsenic is nan lawsuit pinch nan Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. With nan Snapdragon 8 Elite, nan camera strategy tin execute limitless layers of segmentation, taking nan accuracy and sheer value of images and videos to nan adjacent level.

Qualcomm

The ISP besides offloads immoderate of nan Multi-Frame Noise Reduction tasks to AI, which besides helps pinch sound simplification successful 4K, 60 frames per 2nd (fps) videos captured successful ultra-low ray situations. This is yet different monolithic upgrade for camera enthusiasts.

So far, nan bespoke nighttime mode successful camera apps has only worked wonders for stills, but not videos, chiefly because nan pipeline is measurement excessively dense and demanding to use nan basal corrections. According to Qualcomm, nan Snapdragon 8 Elite’s ISP will unfastened caller frontier for video seizure moreover successful highly acheronian surroundings.

The highest solution for slo-mo video seizure has climbed from 720p (HD) to Full HD (1080p), capped astatine 480 fps framework rate. Another notable upgrade is support for autochthonal 8K HDR video playback astatine 60 fps.

On nan image seizure broadside of things, location are a fewer noteworthy changes. Phones powered by nan Snapdragon 8 Elite silicon will support up to 320-megapixel photograph capture, making a leap from nan 200MP limit connected its predecessor.

With Zero Shutter Lag (ZSL) enabled, nan ISP opens nan doors for triple 48MP capture, up from nan Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s limit of 36MP seizure successful identical format.

For mobile videography enthusiasts, there’s immoderate bully news. The next-gen ISP supports locally-powered AI tegument and entity reside adjustments successful existent time, and that too, for 4K videos captured astatine 60 fps. This would shrink nan obstruction for mandatory colour corrections and will besides alteration much meticulous colour reproduction successful high-res videos.

Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: AI and different enhancements

Qualcomm

A recurring taxable crossed nan update committee for Snapdragon 8 Elite is AI. Qualcomm is, successful fact, pushing it everywhere, from camera enhancements to connectivity improvements. At nan halfway of those tweaks is nan next-gen Hexagon NPU, which is said to beryllium 45% faster and besides delivers 45% higher capacity per watt.

The caller Snapdragon X80 5G Modem-RF System is claimed to connection a meaningful 30% boost successful location and positioning accuracy. The Qualcomm FastConnect 7900 Mobile Connectivity System, connected nan different hand, brings Wi-Fi 7 installation tagging alongside a 40% much frugal attack astatine power uptake.

A cardinal displacement successful nan connectivity section is support for Bluetooth 6.0 modular connected nan Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite, while nan Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is constricted to Bluetooth 5.4 standard. On nan audio output front, Qualcomm’s aptX Lossless tech will present nan highest value euphony listening acquisition ever.

Qualcomm

Qualcomm further notes that nan Snapdragon 8 Elite is besides nan first silicon that integrates UWB, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi into a azygous stack. This capacity is targeted astatine proximity finding, aliases successful simpler language, helping find devices that person been misplaced. There are a fewer different adjuvant sides to this tech, specified arsenic doorway entree tied to a higher level of security.

Of course, since we are discussing AI, nan Snapdragon 8 Elite’s NPU would hog nan attention. It enhances nan token limit, which intends on-device assistants will beryllium capable to process much analyzable and longer inputs. Support for on-device multi-modal AI assistants is present to stay, which intends users will beryllium capable to execute analyzable tasks without having to trust connected net connectivity.

Additionally, a much tin on-device processing pipeline will besides mean nan responses will beryllium quicker, speech from being safer compared to a cloud-tethered format.

Qualcomm

Now, nan gains are not simply theoretical successful nature. Based connected nan benchmark figures provided by Qualcomm for a reference instrumentality moving Snapdragon 8 Elite, and caller tests conducted by Digital Trends, nan capacity claims cookware retired successful existent life, arsenic well.

On Geekbench azygous and multi-core tests, we are looking astatine a capacity summation worthy complete 33% successful each scenario. The enhancements are peculiarly awesome successful nan graphics department.

In a trial run, nan Snapdragon 8 Elite outperformed its predecessor by an awesome separator of 46% connected nan intensive GFXBench Aztec Vulcan (High, 1440p) test. The AnTuTu benchmark tally is besides astir complete 30% higher.

Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: last words

Qualcomm

So far, brands for illustration Realme and Xiaomi person already confirmed that nan Snapdragon 8 Elite will powerfulness their adjacent flagship smartphones. More names will soon travel suit.

But truthful far, from what we’ve seen connected nan transportation deck, nan latest silicon from Qualcomm besides seems for illustration its champion stake astatine disrupting nan position quo of Apple’s A-series processors arsenic nan apical dogs.

Digital Trends will soon person its hands connected machines equipped pinch nan Snapdragon 8 Elite and will people its elaborate findings aft broad tests and capacity analyses. Stay tuned for that!