Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon 8 Elite for Smartphones: A Leap in Performance with 3nm Process Technology
Brook.X
Qualcomm recently announced the launch of its Snapdragon 8 Elite series, a successor to the Snapdragon Gen 8 [x] series, marking yet another rebranding for the tech giant. This move brings the Elite nomenclature, previously used in Qualcomm's Windows on Arm laptops, to smartphones, featuring the debut of the Oryon CPU cores in the mobile realm.
Crafted using the cutting-edge 3nm process, the Snapdragon 8 Elite chips boast Qualcomm's second-generation Oryon CPU, optimized for mobile devices. The configuration includes 2 Prime cores and 6 Performance cores, with clock speeds of 4.32GHz and 3.53GHz, respectively. Each core cluster comes with 12MB of L2 cache, totaling 24MB, which significantly enhances data throughput and processing speed.
Interestingly, Qualcomm has decided to skip efficiency cores in this iteration, betting that the performance cores alone will deliver an optimal balance of power and performance. This decision underlines a focus on maintaining battery life without compromising on processing capabilities.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite series introduces a new microarchitecture that features an "Instant Wake" function to reduce power cycles. By eliminating the need for a reset code sequence for core readiness, this innovation aims to enhance processing efficiency and reduce power consumption.
Performance-wise, Qualcomm touts a 45% improvement in both single and multicore operations over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, thanks to the second-generation Oryon CPU. The new Adreno GPU architecture also sees a 40% performance boost, with a 35% increase in ray tracing capabilities.
Compared to Qualcomm's 2023 releases, the Snapdragon 8 Elite promises a 44% increase in CPU efficiency, 40% in GPU efficiency, and a 27% overall boost in power efficiency, significantly extending device battery life.
The AI engine integrates the CPU, GPU, NPU, RAM, and sensor hub, with the Oryon CPU core facilitating AI workloads and handling intensive tasks. This results in minimal initial inference latency. The Hexagon NPU unit's processing speed and per-watt performance have both risen by 45%, aiding OS developers and hardware manufacturers in embedding AI models for on-device processing.
Brands like Xiaomi, Honor, OnePlus, OPPO, Vivo, Samsung, and iQOO are set to release devices powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, with the first wave expected in the coming weeks. Notably, Samsung joins the ranks as one of the first to adopt Qualcomm's new chip, a surprising move compared to previous years.
