Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Debuts With Near-Flagship Power
Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 With Near-Flagship Performance
Qualcomm officially introduced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 on November 25, 2025, positioning the new chipset just below the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 while retaining the same 3nm architecture and third generation Oryon CPU. The goal is to deliver flagship-grade power to premium smartphones at a more accessible price point. According to Chris Patrick, Executive Vice President of Mobile Handsets, the chip is designed to meet rising consumer demand as high-end smartphones continue to dominate global sales, especially across the SEA region.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 features a 2+6 CPU layout similar to the Elite model but with lower clock speeds. The top performance core reaches 3.8 GHz and the efficiency cores reach 3.32 GHz, compared to the Elite’s 4.6 GHz peak. Despite the lower numbers, Qualcomm claims a 36 percent CPU performance boost over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and a 76 percent improvement in web responsiveness. This makes the real-world performance gap between Gen 5 and the Elite surprisingly small, particularly for everyday use and multitasking.
The Adreno 840 GPU uses a new sliced architecture that enhances speed and boosts graphics performance by 11 percent. It supports ray tracing and gaming frame rates up to 165 FPS, along with returning features such as Frame Motion Engine 2.1 and Game Super Resolution. Although the L2 cache is slightly smaller than the Elite variant, leaked benchmark data suggests the gaming scores remain extremely close, with only about a 14 percent difference in certain tests.
The upgraded Hexagon NPU delivers a 46 percent performance jump and works with the Qualcomm AI Engine to support more advanced agentic AI experiences capable of understanding context and offering personalized recommendations. Qualcomm Sensing Hub integrates data from sensors and microphones to detect user intent, such as automatically activating AI assistants when the device is raised, ensuring smooth on-device AI without any compromises compared to the Elite tier.
The chip also includes the Spectra ISP for enhanced camera performance and the X80 5G Modem-RF System for fast and stable connectivity. Qualcomm emphasized that the core specifications remain strong, choosing not to cut essential hardware, ensuring brands can implement near-flagship performance without flagship pricing.
The first smartphone to feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is the OnePlus 15R, announced on November 26, 2025, with OnePlus securing the first global debut. Following that launch, iQOO, Vivo, Motorola, and other manufacturers across the SEA market are expected to reveal their own models beginning in the first quarter of 2026. This rollout will create a stronger premium smartphone segment filled with more cost-effective yet powerful options.
THIS IS OUR SAY
Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 proves that flagship-tier performance no longer needs a flagship-tier price, and with major brands ready to adopt it, the SEA smartphone market is about to get a lot more competitive in the best possible way.
Source: wccftech
