Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip is designed to power the next generation of Android flagship devices.

The percentage increases are relative to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which came out two years ago.

The CPU architecture is similar to the Elite version, but with reduced speeds. The six performance cores reach 3.32GHz, and the two prime cores peak at 3.8GHz, whereas the Elite reaches 3.62GHz and 4.6GHz. Based purely on specifications, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 has slightly lower raw performance compared to last year's Elite, but benchmark testing will reveal the complete picture.

Other differences exist. The standard Gen 5's X80 modem has somewhat lower peak 5G speeds, while Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, satellite, and UWB remain unchanged. UFS 4.1 is not supported, and the Adreno GPU and Hexagon AI NPU are a step below the Elite. It still uses the Adreno 840 GPU with Frame Motion Engine 3.0, but lacks Adreno High-Performance Memory (HPM).

In conclusion, this chip should be more than sufficient for most users, but it lacks the extreme performance required for demanding mobile gaming or intensive AI tasks.

Other specifications, such as charging, display capabilities, and most camera features, are the same as the Elite. Consequently, any phone using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 should still feel fast, responsive, and highly capable.

The first smartphones featuring the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 will be available soon.

Qualcomm has announced that several manufacturers, including OnePlus, Motorola, and vivo, will incorporate this chip into upcoming phones, with launches beginning in the coming weeks. The OnePlus 15R, confirmed for release in the US on December 17, will almost certainly use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5.

This implies that we will soon have the device to directly compare it against its Elite counterpart found in the OnePlus 15.

Based on its specs, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 appears to be perfect for flagship smartphones launching this year and next. While not Qualcomm's fastest chip, it is certainly not a mid-range processor, even if most phones using it fall into the mid-to-high range, like the OnePlus 15R.