Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: Benchmarks and Specs

After unveiling its top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in September 2025, Qualcomm launched a premium Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor. The Elite variant brings higher clock speeds, resulting in superior performance. However, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is no slouch either. To see how wide the performance gap really is between the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in the iQOO 15 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 in the OnePlus 15R, let's go through our benchmark comparison.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: AnTuTu Score

Let's start with the AnTuTu benchmark. In this test, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 took a massive lead over the 8 Gen 5, almost hitting nearly 4 million points and showing off its Elite prowess. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 scored 3,740,686 points, whereas the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 scored 2,886,527 points. This means that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is around 22% faster than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5.

When we look at the scores individually, the difference is stark. The Elite's CPU leads by roughly 15%, whereas the GPU decimates Snapdragon 8 Gen 5's, leading by over 30%. Although both use the same Adreno 840 GPU, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 lacks Adreno HPM memory and an extra GPU slice.

The 22% difference in CPU performance can be attributed to higher clock speeds. This is even with both the processors boasting the same CPU core setup with 3rd Generation Oryon cores.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: Geekbench Score

In Geekbench 6, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 scored 3,588 points in single-core and 10,207 points in multi-core, which is higher than Snapdragon 8 Gen 5's performance: 2,808 in single-core and 9,198 in multi-core.

The higher scores on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 are all thanks to its higher-clocked Oryon CPU, which is 21% faster in single-core tasks than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. In multi-threaded tasks, the Elite leads by around 10%, breaking the 10k barrier that the non-Elite chip couldn't quite reach.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: CPU Throttling Test

CPU throttling test helps figure out a processor's sustained peak performance, average and minimum performance. We ran the 15-minute CPU throttling test, and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 throttled to 58% of its maximum performance, which is weaker than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5's 70%.

This suggests that the Elite has worse thermal performance than the standard 8 Gen 5. Weirdly, the throttling was seen despite testing the Elite chip on what's arguably one of the most thermally capable smartphones in the segment, the iQOO 15.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: 3DMark Score

Putting both the processors through 3DMark's Wild Life Extreme Stress test reveals interesting results. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 posted a monstrous peak score of 6,867, nearly 27% higher than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5's 4,952. However, it faltered in stability.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 collapsed to a staggeringly low 25% stability, losing a significant chunk of its power due to thermal throttling. The 8 Gen 5, on the other hand, posted more than double the stability at 62.3%.

By the end of the test, the 8 Gen 5 was outperforming the Elite because it maintained the performance better. Therefore, unless you're running extremely high-end games or emulating AAA games, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is a smarter purchase.

The same goes for Solar Bay, which evaluates the Ray Tracing performance. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 delivers 30% better performance and better average FPS. This shows that the Elite is fairly capable of handling heavy games with ray tracing at very playable frame rates, putting it way ahead of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, which is capable but not at the level of the Elite.

Lastly, in 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, the Adreno 840 GPU in the 8 Elite Gen 5 with Qualcomm's HPM delivers 34% better performance, with a difference of around 7 frames per second.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: Speedometer 3.0 Score

Finally, in the Speedometer 3.0 test, which measures the CPU performance on web browsers, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 scored 19.3, and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 scored 28.9 points. In web applications, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is around 50% faster which is a pretty huge gap.

Benchmarks Gallery

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: Specs Comparison

Verdict

To sum it up, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is a flagship beast. It offers 22% better AnTuTu scores and 15% and 30% faster CPU and GPU performance, respectively. The Elite processor is a clear choice for those who demand the best of the best. However, the higher clock speeds come at a price of thermal instability, which could be a concern for long-term gaming.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is the smarter choice, in my book. It is relatively slower in raw benchmarks, but far more stable under heavy load. Unless you want to frame those extra benchmark points on the wall, the standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is the more balanced processor.