Qualcomm unveiled its Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset at Snapdragon Summit 2024, and several phone manufacturers have since confirmed that their upcoming flagship devices will be powered by the new (and powerful) mobile platform. TechRadar was invited by Qualcomm to Hawaii for the Snapdragon Summit to hear the latest updates.
Xiaomi and Honor joined Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon on stage in Hawaii to announce that the Xiaomi 15 and Honor Magic 7 series, respectively, will debut this month (probably in China) with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset.
Asus also stated that the upcoming Asus ROG Phone 9 will run on the Snapdragon 8 Elite, and Samsung mobile chief TM Roh made an appearance at Snapdragon Summit to reinforce his company’s ongoing collaboration with Qualcomm. While Roh did not specifically mention the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, it is likely that the top Samsung phones in 2025 will be equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
It is anticipated that many of the best Android phones next year will feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite, with Samsung’s Galaxy S25 series leading the pack in the US, UK, and Australia (expected release in January). Devices from Xiaomi, Honor, and OnePlus mentioned earlier will likely launch in China first before expanding internationally in 2025.
Compared to its predecessor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is the first Qualcomm mobile chipset to incorporate the second-generation Oryon CPU, designed to handle multi-modal AI operations more efficiently.
Phones equipped with Qualcomm’s latest chipset will offer faster app launches, smoother multitasking, and enhanced generative AI capabilities compared to those with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Mobile gamers will also enjoy crisper visuals, smoother gameplay, and longer gaming sessions thanks to the improved Adreno GPU in the 8 Elite.
Stay tuned to TechRadar for more updates on the Snapdragon 8 Elite features from Snapdragon Summit. Check out our coverage of Qualcomm’s virtual, movable light source technology for more information.
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