Qualcomm's New Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: What You Need to Know
I've been following Qualcomm's chipset developments closely, and it seems like we're in for some interesting changes this year. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset which came out late last year, signaled a shift in their naming strategy. Now, there are rumors swirling about not just one, but two high-end Snapdragon chips potentially hitting the market this year.
According to a leak on Weibo, the so-called Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 (SM8845) isn't just a tweaked version of an existing chip. Instead, it's being positioned as a true flagship within the Snapdragon 8 series. What's particularly interesting is that it's expected to share the same cutting-edge TSMC N3P manufacturing process as the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is also said to feature Qualcomm's custom Oryon CPU. It's unclear if it will use the same cores as the 8 Elite or a newer version. What's more, it could support the SME (Scalable Matrix Extension) instruction set for on-device AI acceleration.
The leak suggests that most major Android phone manufacturers are planning to use the 8 Gen 5 in their upcoming flagship devices. As someone who cares a lot about the mobile market, I think that's awesome.
While all this is happening, the leaker also mentioned that the Snapdragon 8s Gen 5 (SM8835) isn't expected to launch anytime soon. Given all the different names and versions, I agree that Qualcomm's naming scheme can be a little confusing.
It seems Qualcomm's high-end lineup could consist of the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, and perhaps a Samsung-made version of the 8 Elite 2. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 could become a popular choice for "flagship killer" phones, especially since there might not be an 8s Gen 5. However, it could also mean that these phones get more expensive, blurring the lines between them and regular flagships.
Source: AndroidAuthority