Snapdragon 8 Elite phones: the growing list of smartphones with this Qualcomm chip

Here's a list of Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite phones, which, before today we thought was going to be called Snapdragon 8 Gen 4

We already know the first few Snapdragon 8 Elite phones launching over the next few weeks (Image credit: Qualcomm)

• ⚙️ Qualcomm’s new 3nm chip to power many top Android phones in 2025

• 📆 First phones globally will come from Xiaomi, Honor, Asus, and Realme

• 🇺🇸 First US Snapdragon 8 Elite phones: OnePlus 13 & Samsung Galaxy S25

• ⚙️ AI-focused 8-core Oryon CPU sees a 45% CPU performance boost

• 🎮 The GPU sees a 40% gaming and 35% ray tracing uptick

• 🍎 Qualcomm says it’ll outperform Apple’s A18 Pro chip in benchmarks

The first Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite phones were announced this week, and the chipset is coming to top Android phones globally starting this month and launching in the US smartphones starting in January 2025.

It’s not called Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, but the Snapdragon 8 Elite is the official sequel to the premier chip found in Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 phones that The Shortcut covered extensively. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is bringing a new level of performance to next-generation Android phones.

It’s likely to power the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, OnePlus 13 and almost every flagship Android phone in 2025, offering a “generative AI powerhouse,” according to Qualcomm. Its System on a Chip utilizes an 8-core Oryon CPU for more on-device AI and an Adreno 830 GPU for up to a 40% boost in gaming performance.

Qualcomm is having its chipset launch event in Hawaii this week. Qualcomm hosted The Shortcut and other technology publications to preview and bechmark its next-Android generation chipset. We’ll have Snapdragon Summit news all week.

Now, onto the Snapdragon 8 Elite phones list…

Inside a Snapdragon 8 Elite reference design (Image credit: Qualcomm)

Which phones will the Snapdragon 8 Elite be in?

Before we get into the specs and benchmarks, let me offer a list of Snapdragon 8 Elite phones. Which phones will get the Snapdragon 8 Elite over the next 12 months? You can expect all major phone manufacturers to use in their flagships by the end of 2025 – just not the rumored Google Pixel 10 and Apple’s iPhone 17 Air.

The major star of the list is the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, which is expected to launch in late January, as was teased during the OneUI 7 reveal. But it won’t be first.

The Realme GT7 Pro will be the first phone with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip (Image credit: Qualcomm)

Snapdragon 8 Elite phones list

The first four Snapdragon 8 Elite smartphones out of the gate will be Xiaomi 15 in October, Honor Magic 7 Pro on October 30, Asus ROG Phone 9 on November 7 and the RealmeGT 7 Pro in November.

• Xiaomi 15

• Realme GT7 Pro

• Honor Magic 7 Pro

• Asus ROG Phone 9

• OnePlus 13

Samsung is no longer leading the pack, as Chinese phone manufacturers now like to rush out devices with the latest chipset to wow consumers. The OnePlus 13 might be among the next phones to feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite System on a Chip, as it recently leaked with a new wood finish.

Samsung Mobile President TM Roh and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon on stage at the Snapdragon Summit (Image credit: Matt Swider / The Shortcut). Expect Samsung to launch its Snapdragon 8 Elite phone in January.

Rumored Snapdragon 8 Elite phones list

Officially, Qualcomm says that “in the coming weeks,” phone manufacturers are poised to launch devices from “ASUS, Honor, iQOO, OnePlus, OPPO, RealMe, Samsung, Vivo, Xiaomi, and more.”

Based on that information and what we know about last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen list, here’s our list of rumored Snapdragon 8 Elite phones.

• Samsung Galaxy S25

• Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus

• Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7

• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7

• Xiaomi 15 Ultra

• Motorola Razr+ 2025

• Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro

• Oppo Find X8 Ultra

• Vivo iQOO 13

• Vivo iQOO 13 Pro

• ZTE Nubia Red Magic 10 Pro

• ZTE Nubia Red Magic 10 Pro Plus

The Snapdragon 8 Elite specs in all their glory (Image credit: Qualcomm)

Snapdragon 8 Elite specs

We’re basically getting a sneak peek at what the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and other Android smartphones will be capable of three months in advance.

At the heart of the Snapdragon 8 Elite is Qualcomm's Oryon CPU, an 8-core CPU configuration with two 4.32GHz power cores and six 3.53GHz smaller cores. It'll have both a 45% single-core and 45% multi-core improvement on the 8 Gen 3 chip. Web browsing is expected to be 62% faster. Qualcomm is sticking with DDR5 RAM, but upgrading it to a 5.3GHz dual-channel LPDDR5X RAM.

Snapdragon 8 Elite gaming performance

When it comes to gaming, Qualcomm says it'll have a 40% performance improvement with a 35% boost in ray tracing via a new sliced architecture. Basically, it seems like Qualcomm wants to match what Apple is capable of with its A18 Pro chipset and ability to run triple-A games on the iPhone 16 Pro series. We'll have performance benchmarks to prove all of these specs soon.

New Snapdragon 8 Elite camera (Image credit: Qualcomm)

Snapdragon 8 Elite camera ISP

While we don't know the Samsung S25 Ultra camera capabilities, the Snapdragon 8 Elite gives us some insight because the Camera ISP allows for 33% more throughput with up to 4.3GP/s. It allows for limitless segmentation (up to 250 different layers) and comes with features like AI relighting, AI Pet Suite and Video Magic Eraser onboard.

Just as important as any of the specs above, all of this power is nothing without energy efficiency. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite is touting a 27% powering savings overall. Breaking down the number, its specs suggest a 44% CPU, 40% GPU, and 45% AI performance per watt.

The Shortcut will actually test out Qualcomm’s new chipset this week, so stay tuned for benchmarking scores from the Snapdragon Summit.