Qualcomm Officially Unveils Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 for Flagship Killer Phones

Back during the Snapdragon Summit in September 2025, Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 as a watered-down and less expensive version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Well, the company has officially launched the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, aiming to deliver a high-end experience on more affordable phones.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 uses 3rd Gen Oryon cores

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is built on TSMC's 3nm N3E node and shares the same third-generation Oryon CPU core as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. It's an octa-core processor with 2x prime cores clocked at 3.8 GHz and 6x performance cores clocked at 3.32 GHz.

Compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the 8 Gen 5 promises up to 36% improved CPU performance, 11% faster GPU and a 46% increase in AI processing. The 8 Gen 5 is also claimed to deliver a 13% improvement in power efficiency.

Graphics-wise, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 features the same Adreno 840 GPU as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, albeit without the Adreno High-performance Memory feature. 

On the AI front, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is equipped with Qualcomm's Hexagon NPU. It supports both on-device AI processing and multi-modal input. Besides, the chipset also brings other flagship-level components such as the Spectra ISP and the X80 5G modem, the same 5G modem used in last year's Snapdragon 8 Elite.

Connectivity-wise, the processor supports Bluetooth 6.0, Bluetooth LE and Wi-Fi 7. Camera support includes provision for up to 320 MP single camera or up to three 48 MP cameras. There's support for up to 4K 120 fps or up to 8K 60 fps video playback. 

The processor also supports the newest UFS 4.1 and LPDDR5X standards, alongside up to QHD+ and 240 Hz display support, with a maximum external display output resolution of 8K 30 Hz.

The first phone that will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is expected to be the OnePlus Ace 6T, or the OnePlus 15R launching in India soon. While Qualcomm hasn't revealed its initial partners, we expect manufacturers like iQOO, Realme, Vivo and Motorola to hop on the bandwagon soon, so stay tuned.