Snapdragon 8 Elite vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
The Snapdragon 8 Elite and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 are both flagship chips made by Qualcomm. In Geekbench 6, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is 35% faster in multi-core (9,143 vs 6,750) and 38% faster in single-core. In 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, a graphics test, the Snapdragon 8 Elite scores 45% higher (2,387 vs 1,642).
Benchmarks head to head
Full chipset rankingMulti-core Geekbench 6
Snapdragon 8 Elite +35%Single-core Geekbench 6
Snapdragon 8 Elite +38%Graphics 3DMark Steel Nomad Light
Snapdragon 8 Elite +45%Higher is better. Bars are relative to the faster chip in each test. A dash means we don’t have a reliable result for that chip yet.
Key facts
Specs from the chip makers. The better result in each benchmark is highlighted.
| Snapdragon 8 Elite | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Qualcomm | Qualcomm |
| Class | Flagship | Flagship |
| Announced | Oct 2024 | Oct 2023 |
| Process | 3 nm TSMC N3E | 4 nm TSMC |
| CPU | 8 cores 2× 4.32 GHz + 6× 3.53 GHz | 8 cores 1× 3.3 GHz + 3× 3.2 GHz + 2× 3.0 GHz + 2× 2.3 GHz |
| Max CPU speed | 4.32 GHz | 3.3 GHz |
| GPU | Adreno 830 | Adreno 750 |
| 5G modem | Built-in 5G | Built-in 5G |
| Place in our ranking | #13 of 113 (better) | #26 of 113 |
| Geekbench 6 single-core | 3,046 (better) | 2,200 |
| Geekbench 6 multi-core | 9,143 (better) | 6,750 |
| Graphics (3DMark Steel Nomad Light) | 2,387 (better) | 1,642 |
| Phones in our database | 32 phones | 22 phones |
| Best-rated phone | OnePlus 13 9.0 | Xiaomi 14 Ultra 8.5 |
| Lowest US launch price | $529 REDMAGIC 11 Air | $549 REDMAGIC 10 Air |
| Newest phone | REDMI K90 Ultra Jun 2026 | vivo X Fold5 Jun 2025 |
Phones with the Snapdragon 8 Elite
32 phones in our database, best rated first.
-
9.0
OnePlus 13
6.82″ 120 Hz, 50 MP camera, 6,000 mAh
From $899.99 + Compare -
8.9
HONOR Magic V5
7.95″ 120 Hz, 50 MP camera, 5,820 mAh
No US price + Compare -
8.9
HONOR Magic7 Pro
6.8″ 120 Hz, 50 MP camera, 5,270 mAh
No US price + Compare -
8.8
HONOR 600 Pro
6.57″ 120 Hz, 200 MP camera, 6,400 mAh
No US price + Compare
Phones with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
22 phones in our database, best rated first.
-
8.5
Xiaomi 14 Ultra
6.73″ 120 Hz, 50 MP camera, 5,000 mAh
No US price + Compare -
8.4
HONOR 400 Pro
6.7″ 120 Hz, 200 MP camera, 5,300 mAh
No US price + Compare -
8.4 Discontinued
OnePlus 12
6.82″ 120 Hz, 50 MP camera, 5,400 mAh
From $799.99 + Compare -
8.3
vivo X Fold5
8.03″ 120 Hz, 50 MP camera, 6,000 mAh
No US price + Compare
Snapdragon 8 Elite vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: FAQ
Which is faster, the Snapdragon 8 Elite or the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3?
In Geekbench 6, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is 35% faster in multi-core (9,143 vs 6,750) and 38% faster in single-core. In 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, a graphics test, the Snapdragon 8 Elite scores 45% higher (2,387 vs 1,642). Real-world speed also depends on how well each phone keeps the chip cool and on its software.
Is the Snapdragon 8 Elite or the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 better for gaming?
3DMark Steel Nomad Light measures graphics performance, which matters most for games. The Snapdragon 8 Elite scores 45% higher than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (2,387 vs 1,642). Cooling, screen refresh rate and game support also make a difference, so check the phones themselves.
Which is newer, the Snapdragon 8 Elite or the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3?
The Snapdragon 8 Elite is newer: it was announced in October 2024, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 was announced in October 2023.
Which phones use the Snapdragon 8 Elite and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3?
The Snapdragon 8 Elite powers 32 phones in our database, including the OnePlus 13, HONOR Magic V5 and HONOR Magic7 Pro. The lowest US launch price with this chip is $529, for the REDMAGIC 11 Air. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 powers 22 phones in our database, including the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, HONOR 400 Pro and OnePlus 12. The lowest US launch price with this chip is $549, for the REDMAGIC 10 Air.
Where do these benchmark scores come from?
They are reference results for each chip: the median of several Geekbench 6 runs on retail phones. The 3DMark Steel Nomad Light graphics score is the median of the results for retail phones with the chip in the official ranking of UL, the maker of 3DMark. The same chip can score a little differently from phone to phone, depending on cooling, clock speeds and software.
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