Qualcomm has announced the release of its latest flagship smartphone processor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, at the Snapdragon Summit. This new processor is expected to bring laptop-level functionality to smartphones, offering a significant performance boost compared to previous models.
The upgraded Snapdragon series features Qualcomm's in-house developed Oryon processor design, which is claimed to deliver 45% better performance with reduced power consumption. The Oryon core, originally designed for laptops, stems from Qualcomm's 2021 acquisition of CPU design firm Nuvia, founded by former Apple executives who had previously contributed to the design of Apple's laptop chips.
This marks the first time Qualcomm has integrated the Oryon core into a smartphone chip, initially used in the X Elite chip for laptops launched last year. The X Elite, based on the Arm architecture, was released this year, and one of its key selling points is its support for artificial intelligence (AI).
With the Snapdragon 8 Elite, smartphones will be able to locally run generative AI software, enhancing response times by eliminating the need for remote server access. This redesign focuses on handling tasks like generating images and text, and Qualcomm is providing developers with special tools to fully leverage these capabilities, alongside existing Android OS tools.
Chris Patrick, Qualcomm's Senior Vice President and General Manager of Mobile Handsets, highlighted the integration of AI, noting its rapid growth as a field within Google but emphasizing Qualcomm's unique technology offerings for end developers.
Samsung, ASUS, and Xiaomi are among the manufacturers expected to adopt the Snapdragon 8 Elite, with smartphones featuring the chip anticipated to launch in the coming weeks. A notable tech industry analyst recently predicted that this latest Snapdragon processor would significantly contribute to Qualcomm's fourth-quarter performance this year.
