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

Qualcomm released the Snapdragon 8 Elite last year, and it was the reigning champion until the chipmaker released the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. Now, we know that the former beats the 8 Elite by a wide margin, but how does Qualcomm's new premium chipset fare against last year's flagship chipset? To find out, we pitted the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 in the OnePlus 15R against the Snapdragon 8 Elite found in the Realme GT 7 Pro, and the difference was interesting.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite: AnTuTu Score

In the AnTuTu V11 benchmark, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 inside the OnePlus 15R scores around the same as the Snapdragon 8 Elite inside the Realme GT 7 Pro. In our AnTuTu test, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 scored 2,886,527 points while the Snapdragon 8 Elite achieved 2,953,603 points, well within the same ballpark. The breakdown reveals a tug-of-war where one chipset outperforms the other and vice versa in different aspects.

For starters, to get this out of the way, the Snapdragon 8 Elite has a much better GPU score of 1,103,756 points, which is significantly higher than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5's 951,094 points. However, the 8 Gen 5 pulls ahead in the CPU department, scoring 887,251 points against Snapdragon 8 Elite's slightly lower 829,643 points.

The benchmark reveals one thing, i.e., both the processors are equally matched in all aspects except for the GPU. While the 3rd-gen Oryon cores in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 are both faster and more efficient, the 2nd-gen Oryon cores on the Snapdragon 8 Elite are clocked much higher, offering quick burst of performance.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite: Geekbench Score

In Geekbench 6, the Snapdragon 8 Elite takes the crown by posting a single-core score of 3,033 points, edging out the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5's 2,808 points with a 7% difference. The multi-core battle is a competition between higher clock speeds vs newer cores, and the latter wins by a very slight margin. Although the multi-core scores are well within the margin of error, suggesting both the processors boast similar multi-tasking performance.

As for what the scores mean, neither of these processors is slow, and you'd be hard-pressed to find the difference in day-to-day usage. However, the Snapdragon 8 Elite does have a slight upper hand when it comes to single-threaded tasks, meaning the phone will be a bit more responsive in single-core tasks. But again, the difference will be pretty much unnoticeable.

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

In the 15-minute CPU Throttling Test, the Snapdragon 8 Elite was slightly more stable, throttling to 73% of its maximum performance, compared to Snapdragon 8 Gen 5's 70%. Thanks to the superior cooling management on the Realme GT 7 Pro, the Snapdragon 8 Elite does slightly better even under heavy stress. So in terms of sustained workload on the CPU, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is narrowly ahead of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5.

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

When it comes to graphics performance, the Snapdragon 8 Elite comfortably beats the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. In the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress test, the Snapdragon 8 Elite hits 6,502 points, a massive 22% jump over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5's 4,952 points. This suggests that despite boasting a newer Adreno 840 GPU, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is no match for the Adreno 830 inside the Snapdragon 8 Elite.

However, the catch is that the Snapdragon 8 Elite struggles to sustain its GPU performance, and as a result, has a low 46.8% stability. The 8 Gen 5 was more stable at 62.3%. The bottom line is, the Snapdragon 8 Elite has better peak performance, whereas the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 should give you a better sustained gaming performance.

In 3DMark Solar Bay, which reflects the Ray Tracing performance of chipsets, the Snapdragon 8 Elite takes the lead, scoring 11,397 versus Snapdragon 8 Gen 5's 8,794 points. That's a difference of 22%, which is pretty hard to ignore. Besides, the 8 Elite scores around 10 FPS higher than the 8 Gen 5, which shows that it can get you more playable frame rates.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite's graphical dominance continues in the demanding 3DMark Steel Nomad Light test, where the processor scores 2,467 points in comparison to 1,832 points of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. That's a 25% difference, which is pretty significant. Besides, the 8 Elite scores around 5 FPS higher average FPS.

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

Unsurprisingly, the higher clocked 2nd-generation Oryon cores on the Snapdragon 8 Elite provide a better web browsing experience than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. The Elite scores a solid 21.4 points, which means it can render any complex webpage you throw at it. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is no slouch either, scoring 19.3 points, but still behind the Snapdragon 8 Elite.

Benchmark Gallery

Verdict

The Snapdragon 8 Elite is a graphics powerhouse as it dominates in 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test, Solar Bay and Steel Nomad Light, making it a better choice for high-fidelity gaming. However, in terms of thermal stability, it's slightly behind the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. This is where the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 sprints ahead.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is clocked at lower frequencies, but packs improved 3rd-generation Oryon CPU cores, striking the perfect balance between power and efficiency. Under heavy stress, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 offers slightly better stability.

However, if you need a processor for sheer power and peak gaming performance, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is still king. But for users who value balanced performance, cooler operation and reliability over extended use, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is a capable daily driver.