Qualcomm may launch a Snapdragon 8s Elite chip for upper-midrange phones, possibly debuting in April 2025.
The Snapdragon 8s Elite is rumored to outperform the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 but falls short of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
It could bring better efficiency and might power phones with massive 7000mAh batteries.
Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 8 Elite as its latest flagship chip earlier this year. It’s the direct successor to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 but comes with a different name, which aligns more with the ARM-based Snapdragon X Elite. The new chip features custom Oryon cores, though not the same ones used in the X Elite for laptops. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is set to power most Android flagships launching in 2025, including the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the OnePlus 13. However, Qualcomm may also launch a second Snapdragon Elite chip that will be used in upper-midrange phones.
Leaker Digital Chat Station claimed on Weibo that Qualcomm might soon launch a Snapdragon 8s Elite chip (via Android Authority). It’s expected to power upper-midrange phones in the $500–$600 range. According to the leaker, the chip outperforms the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 but falls short of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The first phones powered by this chip will apparently debut in April 2025, and they may also bring a massive 7000mAh battery.
Its name suggests it will succeed the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, which powered phones like the Poco F6 and Honor 200 Pro. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is built on a 4nm process and features a Cortex-X4 prime core clocked at 3.0GHz, four performance cores at 2.8GHz, and three efficiency cores at 2.0GHz. It supports up to 24GB of LPDDR5x RAM (up to 4,200MHz) and UFS 4.0 storage. The Snapdragon 8s Elite, however, might be based on a more advanced process node.
Source: Qualcomm
The next-gen Qualcomm chips might cost more
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite is a significant upgrade over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. We tested it on the iQOO 13 and were quite impressed. However, this leap in performance might come with a cost for Android OEMs, potentially leading to higher prices for next-gen Android phones. A report from earlier today suggests Qualcomm plans to increase the price of the Snapdragon 8 Elite (2nd Gen). The current chip is reportedly priced at $190, and even a 5% hike would push its successor’s cost to over $200.
