Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon 8 Elite Chip with Enhanced AI Capabilities

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At its flagship Snapdragon Summit on Tuesday, Qualcomm introduced its newest mobile chip, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, marking a significant leap in mobile processing technology. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is the first smartphone chip to feature Qualcomm’s custom Oryon CPU architecture, which was previously introduced with Snapdragon X Elite chips for ARM-based Windows laptops. Qualcomm confirmed that several leading smartphone brands, including ASUS, Honor, iQOO, OnePlus, OPPO, Realme, Samsung, Vivo, and Xiaomi, will release devices powered by this new chip in the coming weeks, with the OnePlus 13 set to launch in China on October 31.

Performance Enhancements and AI Revolution

Qualcomm highlighted the dramatic improvements in CPU, GPU, and NPU capabilities that the Snapdragon 8 Elite brings to mobile devices. The company noted that the chip offers substantial performance gains while maintaining superior power efficiency. Additionally, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is set to revolutionise mobile experiences by introducing multi-modal generative AI directly on devices, enhancing various tasks, from productivity to creativity, while ensuring privacy.

The chip, which includes custom CPU cores based on second-generation Qualcomm Oryon CPU architecture, features a new Adreno GPU and an enhanced Hexagon NPU, all fabricated using TSMC’s 3nm process. Qualcomm emphasised that the processor’s clock speed of 4.32 GHz offers over 45% better performance, with a 44% improvement in power efficiency compared to its predecessor.

Advanced Capabilities for AI and Connectivity

The Snapdragon 8 Elite also introduces significant advancements in AI capabilities. It supports on-device large language models (LLMs), multimodal models (LMMs), and vision models (LVMs), allowing real-time text, image, and audio generation. The Adreno GPU delivers a 40% improvement in power efficiency and performance over the previous Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

For connectivity, the chip integrates the Snapdragon X80 5G Modem-RF System and the FastConnect 7900, supporting features like Wi-Fi 7. Additionally, the chip supports up to 320 MP cameras, 8K video recording, and up to 24 GB of LPDDR5x RAM, cementing its position as a leading solution for high-end smartphones.