Details about Qualcomm’s non-flagship flagship chipset emerge in new leak

In addition to launching the top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 earlier than usual this year, Qualcomm also confirmed it is working on the non-Elite variant of the chipset. The standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 has yet to hit the market, but Qualcomm has already shared some specifics about the chipset, including a vague description of the CPU. Now, a recent leak is plugging any previous gap in information with more details.

Leaker Digital Chat Station recently shared specifications for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, including its CPU and GPU. Per the leak, the chipset is set to be fabricated on TSMC’s N3P 3nn process, identical to the Elite edition. This is TSMC’s third-gen 3nm process, which offers marginal gains in performance and efficiency over the N3E process that was utilized for the Snapdragon 8 Elite from last year.

According to the leaker, the chipset also uses Qualcomm’s custom Oryon cores for the CPU, split into a 2+6 configuration. That arrangement includes two Prime cores with a clock speed of 3.8GHz and six Performance cores at 3.32GHz. Although the configuration is identical to the previous flagship, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, these CPU frequencies are significantly lower. That means the upcoming chipset could be positioned between the Snapdragon 8 Elite and the successor to the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 — or it could actually succeed the latter.

While these numbers fall short of impressive, the chip is likely aimed at sub-flagships or flagship killers rather than truly Elite Android phones launching over the next several months. The newer fabrication process is also expected to make up for these deficiencies.

Although Qualcomm had previously hinted at a “next-gen” Adreno GPU, a “powerful” NPU, and a “superior AI-ISP powered camera,” the leak indicates it may be skipping those upgrades. In fact, early tests indicate a downgrade in GPU performance over the Snapdragon 8 Elite. However, we’d like to verify these when we can test devices running on this chipset.

The leaker does not suggest a tentative release timeline for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. However, previous leaks suggest that manufacturers are already planning devices with this chip. While the OnePlus Ace 6 (likely to be rebranded as the OnePlus 15R) was expected to be the first phone with this chipset, OnePlus chose the regular Snapdragon 8 Elite instead. We’d wait to watch if that is replicated in the global release as well.

Digital Chat Station also hints that the phone could be used for the Vivo S50 Pro, which might be rebadged as the Vivo X300 FE for global markets.

Meanwhile, to make things even more confusing, Qualcomm is working on another variant of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. This one’s expected to be manufactured by Samsung on a more advanced 2nm process and to arrive by mid-2026. Additionally, work on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 has already begun, and TSMC will bear the responsibility for its manufacturing.