Snapdragon 8 Elite vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 5

The Snapdragon 8 Elite and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 are both flagship chips made by Qualcomm. In Geekbench 6, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is 5% faster in multi-core (9,568 vs 9,143), while the Snapdragon 8 Elite is 6% faster in single-core. In 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, a graphics test, the Snapdragon 8 Elite scores 23% higher (2,387 vs 1,938).

Qualcomm Flagship

Snapdragon 8 Elite

#13 of 109 chipsets · 32 phones

Qualcomm Flagship

Snapdragon 8 Gen 5

#11 of 109 chipsets · 7 phones

Benchmarks head to head

Full chipset ranking

Multi-core Geekbench 6

Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 +5%
Snapdragon 8 Elite 9,143
Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 9,568

Single-core Geekbench 6

Snapdragon 8 Elite +6%
Snapdragon 8 Elite 3,046
Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 2,864

Graphics 3DMark Steel Nomad Light

Snapdragon 8 Elite +23%
Snapdragon 8 Elite 2,387
Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 1,938

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 EliteSnapdragon 8 Gen 5
Maker Qualcomm Qualcomm
Class Flagship Flagship
Announced Oct 2024 Nov 2025
Process 3 nm TSMC N3E 3 nm TSMC N3P
CPU 8 cores 2× 4.32 GHz + 6× 3.53 GHz 8 cores 2× 3.8 GHz + 6× 3.32 GHz
Max CPU speed 4.32 GHz 3.8 GHz
GPU Adreno 830 Adreno 829
5G modem Built-in 5G Built-in 5G
Place in our ranking #13 of 109 #11 of 109 (better)
Geekbench 6 single-core 3,046 (better) 2,864
Geekbench 6 multi-core 9,143 9,568 (better)
Graphics (3DMark Steel Nomad Light) 2,387 (better) 1,938
Phones in our database 32 phones 7 phones
Best-rated phone OnePlus 13 9.0 Motorola Signature 9.0
Lowest US launch price $529 REDMAGIC 11 Air $700 OnePlus 15R
Newest phone REDMI K90 Ultra Jun 2026 vivo X300 E Jul 2026

Phones with the Snapdragon 8 Elite

32 phones in our database, best rated first.

See all 32 phones

Phones with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5

7 phones in our database, best rated first.

See all 7 phones

Snapdragon 8 Elite vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: FAQ

Which is faster, the Snapdragon 8 Elite or the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5?

In Geekbench 6, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is 5% faster in multi-core (9,568 vs 9,143), while the Snapdragon 8 Elite is 6% faster in single-core. In 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, a graphics test, the Snapdragon 8 Elite scores 23% higher (2,387 vs 1,938). 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 5 better for gaming?

3DMark Steel Nomad Light measures graphics performance, which matters most for games. The Snapdragon 8 Elite scores 23% higher than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 (2,387 vs 1,938). 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 5?

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is newer: it was announced in November 2025, while the Snapdragon 8 Elite was announced in October 2024.

Which phones use the Snapdragon 8 Elite and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5?

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 5 powers 7 phones in our database, including the Motorola Signature, vivo X300 FE and Motorola Razr Fold. The lowest US launch price with this chip is $700, for the OnePlus 15R.

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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