Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC to Feature Similar Architecture as Flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, Tipster Claims

Qualcomm is all set to host its annual Snapdragon Summit 2025 next month, where it is expected to showcase the successor to the current flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. However, one more flagship-level processor is reportedly in the works. As per a tipster, a purported Qualcomm chipset, dubbed the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, is also in development. It is said to share its architecture with last year's Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC and could feature Qualcomm's proprietary Oryon CPU cores.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Could Feature Oryon CPU Cores

Tipster Digital Chat Station (translated from Chinese) shared information about the purported Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC in a post on the microblogging platform Weibo. The chipset will arrive as a flagship-grade offering in the Snapdragon 8 series, with the model number SM8845, according to the tipster.

However, the tipster suggests that it will not be an iteration of the existing Snapdragon processors for mobile, including the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, which bears the model number SM8735. Meanwhile, the Snapdragon 8 Elite successor, ubiquitously known as Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, is expected to arrive with the model number SM8850.

As per the post, the purported Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 will be produced using the same Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) 3nm process technology (N3P) as the unannounced Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. It is also tipped to share Qualcomm's custom Oryon CPU architecture and support for ARM's SME (Scalable Matrix Extensions).

Previous reports indicate that the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 could offer up to 20 percent improvement in single and multi-core performance. SME is designed to enable the acceleration of AI and machine learning workloads.

In terms of positioning, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset is expected to sit above the successor to the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 SoC. However, it will still not be the chipmaker's top-of-the-line offering, according to the tipster. That position will reportedly be taken by the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite successor.

If this turns out to be accurate, it would suggest a return to the existing nomenclature for Qualcomm. After launching the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in 2023, the chipmaker introduced its successor not as Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, but as Snapdragon 8 Elite. While its launch date remains under wraps, there is a possibility that we could see it unveiled alongside the unannounced Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 at the Snapdragon Summit in September.