- Updated: November 26, 2025
- 6 min read
Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: Performance Boost and Upcoming Devices
Skip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.Hamburger Navigation ButtonThe VergeThe Verge logo.Qualcomm reveals its not-so-elite Snapdragon 8 Gen 5NewsCloseNewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NewsGadgetsCloseGadgetsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GadgetsTechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechQualcomm reveals its not-so-elite Snapdragon 8 Gen 5Set to feature in phones from the likes of OnePlus and Motorola within weeks.Set to feature in phones from the likes of OnePlus and Motorola within weeks.by Dominic PrestonCloseDominic PrestonNews EditorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Dominic PrestonNov 26, 2025, 6:30 AM UTCLinkShareQualcomm still sees this as a flagship chipset, just not an “Elite” one. Image: QualcommDominic PrestonCloseDominic PrestonPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Dominic Preston is a news editor with over a decade’s experience in journalism. He previously worked at Android Police and Tech Advisor.When Qualcomm announced its high-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset in November, it mentioned that a non-Elite version was on the way, designed to power a more affordable tier of flagship phones. Now, that chip has finally arrived, with some drops in performance but the same core feature set.Qualcomm compares the 8 Gen 5 to 2023’s 8 Gen 3, boasting a 36 percent improvement in CPU performance and 11 percent improvement in GPU performance compared to that chip, along with efficiency improvements. But since the 8 Gen 3 is two years old, and Qualcomm has changed CPU architecture in the meantime, the recent 8 Elite Gen 5 is a more useful comparison.The 8 Gen 5 has a similar Oryon CPU structure to the Elite, but at slower clock speeds — its six performance cores cap at 3.32GHz, with its two prime cores at 3.8GHz, compared to 3.62GHz and 4.6GHz respectively in the Elite. On paper, that also sets its performance below last year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, though we’ll have to wait to see how actual smartphones compare in practice.Those percentage improvements are all compared to the two-year-old 8 Gen 3. Image: QualcommThere are a few other downgrades from the new Elite.The regular Gen 5’s X80 modem has slightly slower peak 5G speeds, though Bluetooth and Wi-Fi performance should be the same, and both satellite and ultra wideband (UWB) are supported. It also has slightly downgraded specs on its Adreno GPU and Hexagon AI NPU, though Qualcomm has gone into less detail on the exact comparisons there, and it can’t use the latest UFS 4.1 storage.But other specs are identical across the two chipsets, including charging capabilities, display support, and the vast majority of the camera hardware options.Qualcomm says that several manufacturers, including Motorola, OnePlus, and Vivo, have already agreed to use the chip in new phones, with the first devices due to appear “in the coming weeks.” That might mean we’ll see it in the OnePlus 15R, now confirmed to launch in the US on December 17th.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Dominic PrestonCloseDominic PrestonNews EditorPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Dominic PrestonChipsCloseChipsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ChipsGadgetsCloseGadgetsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GadgetsMobileCloseMobilePosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All MobileNewsCloseNewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NewsPhonesClosePhonesPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All PhonesTechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechMost PopularMost PopularLarge language mistakeWyze’s new security camera watches your yard from inside your homeRAM prices are so out of control that stores are selling it like lobsterI’m officially done with YouTube KidsAmazon’s Starlink competitor is launching with ‘world’s fastest satellite internet antenna’The Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native adMore in NewsWarner Music Group partners with Suno to offer AI likenesses of its artistsPerplexity says its AI personal shopper ‘puts you first’Wyze’s new security camera watches your yard from inside your homeROG Xbox Ally’s new profiles optimize performance per game for more battery lifeThe Kodak Snapic A1 is a $99 film camera that makes double exposures easyAluminium OS will be Google’s take on Android for PCWarner Music Group partners with Suno to offer AI likenesses of its artistsEmma RothNov 25Perplexity says its AI personal shopper ‘puts you first’Elissa WelleNov 25Wyze’s new security camera watches your yard from inside your homeAndrew LiszewskiNov 25ROG Xbox Ally’s new profiles optimize performance per game for more battery lifeEmma RothNov 25The Kodak Snapic A1 is a $99 film camera that makes double exposures easyAndrew LiszewskiNov 25Aluminium OS will be Google’s take on Android for PCDominic PrestonNov 25Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native adTop StoriesNov 25The AI boom is based on a fundamental mistakeNov 25David Sacks tried to kill state AI laws — and it blew up in his faceNov 25Car influencers love Chinese EVs — and China loves them backNov 25Stranger Things is ending, and so is Netflix’s reliance on tentpole showsNov 25The geek’s guide to running fasterNov 24The absolute best Black Friday deals we’ve found (so far)