As we revealed during its announcement on October 22, the new all-in-one SoC (System on Chip) in Qualcomm’s “8” series, designed to power the flagship models from Oppo, Vivo, Samsung, and other premium brands over $1,000, is named Snapdragon 8 Elite. The “Elite” designation resonates with Qualcomm’s PC chip, the Snapdragon X Elite, and this new version brings a groundbreaking feature: Qualcomm’s powerful Oryon core, now in a smartphone processor for the first time.
Moreover, the Snapdragon 8 Elite showcases the second generation of the Oryon core, which will also appear in Qualcomm’s next-gen PC processors, set for release next year. The Snapdragon 8 Elite marks a significant milestone in the Snapdragon 8 lineup, where all components—CPU, GPU, NPU, ISP, and more—have undergone a complete redesign.
In competition with Apple’s A18 Pro and MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400, the Snapdragon 8 Elite aims to regain Qualcomm’s dominance in high-end mobile chips. Let’s dive into what makes this powerhouse chip tick.
Qualcomm Reaches New Heights in Chip Fabrication
Last year, Apple was the first (and only) player to utilize 3nm N3B process technology. This year, however, Apple, MediaTek, and Qualcomm are all producing chips on the N3E node, a slightly improved and more cost-effective version of N3B. This shared advancement in fabrication gives Apple’s A18 Pro, MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite equal footing in terms of lithography. The resulting boost translates into 10–15% higher efficiency and reduced power consumption compared to last year’s 4nm node (N4).
With this new fabrication process as a foundation, Qualcomm’s engineering team has completely overhauled this generation’s architecture, enhancing every component from CPU to GPU, NPU, and ISP. Performance gains range between 35% and 45%, driven by the flagship element of this SoC: its Oryon CPU cores.
CPU: Oryon Returns, Stronger with Version 2
The stars of this new chip are the Oryon cores, developed by Qualcomm itself. Like Apple, but unlike MediaTek (which relies on ARM designs), Qualcomm has ventured into developing its custom CPU cores. Following Qualcomm’s 2021 acquisition of Nuvia and the 2023 release of the Snapdragon X Elite/Plus for Windows PCs, this marks the debut of Qualcomm’s custom microarchitecture in a smartphone. This second-generation Oryon core has been re-engineered specifically for mobile.
An Unusual 2+6 Core Configuration
The CPU architecture consists of two ultra-high-performance cores, known as Prime Cores, capable of reaching speeds of 4.32 GHz, supported by six high-performance cores (Performance Cores) maxing out at 3.53 GHz. This 2+6 setup deviates from last year’s 1+4+3 configuration, where only one large core, four mid-sized cores, and three small cores were included.
Notably, the low-power cores from the previous generation have been eliminated. Instead, the Performance Cores can now operate at ultra-low frequencies when necessary, thanks to finer voltage controls, effectively replacing the need for small cores and boosting efficiency across the board.
