Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon 8 Gen 5

Qualcomm has introduced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, a new mobile chip made for more affordable flagship phones. The chip keeps many of the features found in the higher-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 but comes with slightly lower performance. Qualcomm says the chip will start appearing in new devices in the coming weeks.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 offers faster CPU and GPU performance compared to the older Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 from 2023. Qualcomm reports a 36 percent CPU boost and an 11 percent GPU boost against that older model. However, compared to the newer 8 Elite Gen 5, the regular Gen 5 runs at slower clock speeds. Its performance cores top out at 3.32GHz, while the Elite reaches up to 3.62GHz, and the prime cores also run slower.

The chip also has a few reduced features. Its X80 modem supports slightly slower 5G peak speeds. Its GPU and AI NPU are also toned down, and it does not support the newer UFS 4.1 storage. Even so, it keeps the same charging features, display support, and most camera functions found in the Elite version.

Qualcomm confirms that brands like Motorola, OnePlus, and Vivo will use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 soon. One expected device is the OnePlus 15R, set to launch in the US on December 17.