Qualcomm is rolling out the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 at the Snapdragon Summit 2025. The pitch is simple: faster CPU and GPU, a smarter NPU for on-device AI, and a pro-grade camera pipeline with a new APV codec. The platform will power upcoming flagships from brands like Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus and more, with launches starting this week.
What’s actually new in performance
The third-gen Oryon CPU leads the update with higher clocks and better efficiency.
- Custom Oryon CPU up to 4.6 GHz
- Up to 20% performance uplift vs previous 8 Elite
- Up to 35% CPU power efficiency and 16% overall SoC power savings
- New hardware matrix acceleration for AI workloads
In plain terms, this is the fastest mobile CPU Qualcomm has shipped, with meaningful gains for multitasking, gaming and content creation. The high clock speed pairs with larger caches and matrix acceleration so intensive tasks finish quicker and with less battery drain.
I got some hands-on time with a test unit at the Snapdragon Summit 2025 and was allowed to run benchmarks on it. Here is are the results of some of the benchmarks I ran:
| Geekbench 6 (Single Core CPU) | 3815 |
| Geekbench 6 (Multi Core CPU) | 12285 |
| Geekbench 6 (GPU) | 23476 |
| Speedometer (Web based) | 45.8 |
| AImark | 37949 |
| AiTUTU | 2576610 |
| Ai LLM | 925837 |
Agentic AI on device, not in the cloud
Qualcomm is pushing “agentic AI” that adapts to you and takes actions locally.
- Hexagon NPU is 37% faster vs last gen
- Qualcomm Sensing Hub builds a personal knowledge graph
- Qualcomm Personal Scribe features and continuous on-device learning
- Mix-precision support from INT2 to FP16 for efficient inference
This setup aims for assistants that see context, act across apps and keep data on device. The Sensing Hub does the always-on work, while the NPU handles the heavy models. It’s designed for proactive suggestions and private, low-latency actions that don’t ping a server for every thought.
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Pro-video goes mobile with APV and Dragon Fusion
Creators get new capture and post options that used to need a camera rig.
- First mobile platform to record in Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec
- 20-bit triple AI ISP with 4x dynamic range vs prior design
- ArcSoft Dragon Fusion fully computational video pipeline on 8 Elite Gen 5
- Context-aware autofocus, exposure and white balance, plus real-time tone tweaks
APV targets near-lossless recording, so highlights, shadows and colours hold up in grading. Dragon Fusion uses the NPU for per-frame tonemapping so video looks closer to processed stills. Audio isn’t an afterthought either: Snapdragon Audio Sense adds wind-noise rejection, audio zoom and HDR audio for cleaner voice and ambience.
Gaming gains: new Adreno, HPM cache and UE5 features
Graphics sees both speed and stamina upgrades.
- Next-gen Adreno GPU with 23% higher performance at up to 1.2 GHz
- Adreno High Performance Memory (HPM) dedicated cache for bandwidth and latency
- Tile Memory Heap and Mesh Shading support
- Hardware-accelerated ray tracing, Lumen GI and UE5 optimisations
The goal is steadier frame rates with less heat. HPM and Tile Memory Heap cut trips to main memory, which reduces power draw, and Mesh Shading helps render complex scenes efficiently. Expect smoother long sessions and better visuals, not just higher peaks on benchmarks.
Connectivity: 5G Advanced, Wi-Fi 7 and whole-home audio
Networking and audio stack both get a lift.
- X85 5G Modem-RF: up to 12.5 Gbps down, 3.7 Gbps up, 3GPP Release 18 support
- FastConnect 7900 with Wi-Fi 7, up to 40% lower Wi-Fi power use and 50% lower gaming latency with AI optimisation
- Integrated Bluetooth 6.0 plus UWB for proximity and access control
- XPAN for building-wide audio and lossless 24-bit, 96 kHz streams
For the UAE, Wi-Fi 7 is useful if you’ve got multi-gig fibre plans in the UAE and a Wi-Fi 7 mesh. Phones on 8 Elite Gen 5 will be ready for that, and for more reliable handoffs between Wi-Fi and 5G when you roam around the house.
Availability, brands and UAE timing
You’ll see 8 Elite Gen 5 in new flagships from Honor, OnePlus, OPPO, POCO, realme, Redmi, Samsung, vivo and Xiaomi launching in the coming days. Some of these are sure to land as the best phones of 2025 in the UAE.
Is Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 faster than last year’s chip?
Yes. Qualcomm cites around 20% CPU uplift, 23% GPU uplift and a 37% faster NPU compared to the previous 8 Elite, alongside better efficiency.
What is APV and why should I care?
APV is a new near-lossless video codec for mobiles. It preserves detail for grading and editing, which is useful if you colour correct or deliver HDR content.
Will phones in the UAE support all these features?
Features depend on each brand’s implementation. The platform supports 5G Advanced, Wi-Fi 7, UWB and the new camera stack. OEMs choose what to enable, but expect most flagships sold here to ship the core features.
