What you need to know
- A recent round of rumors claim Qualcomm's "Snapdragon 8s Elite" will feature a power that sits between two past-gen SoCs.
- The chip is rumored to see a power that's greater than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but weaker than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
- Rumors claim the chip could see a Q1 2025 debut alongside another midrange-focused SoC.
With Qualcomm's flagship chip appearing in the wild, rumors are appearing about its flagship spinoff.
As rumors spring from various avenues, known X tipster Yogesh Brar states the (assumed) Snapdragon 8s Elite could see a notable swap in cores (via Android Authority). According to Brar, Qualcomm could switch out its powerful Oryon CPU cores in favor of several ARM-based cores. There's very little information floating about concerning the exact power-level of this chip.
The publication spotted Weibo leaker Digital Chat Station (DCS) posting their two cents, stating the chip is "stronger than the SD 8 Gen 2 and weaker than the SD 8 Gen 3."
On the other hand, Brar says the next toned-down flagship variant will be joined by a "Snapdragon 7 Plus" SoC. Speculation for a supposed launch isn't consistent as Brar claims March 2025 while DCS purports April 2025. So, we're either looking at the very end of Q1 2025 or the beginning of Q2. Although, a leak spotted by SmartPrix from Smart Pikachu on Weibo suggests Q1 2025, so we'll have to wait and see where things fall.
Next gen SoCsSM8735 Snapdragon 8s \ SM7775 7+March 2025 releaseLikely based on ARM, instead of Nuvia (Oryon) coresDecember 2, 2024
It's a little strange to hear rumors suggest the "Snapdragon 8s Elite" will sit between the SD 8 Gen 2 and the SD 8 Gen 3. Qualcomm detailed its Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 in March, but that device already sits between the previously mentioned chips. The chip clocks in slightly slower than its flagship version with a single high-performance core at 3GHz. Moreover, the OEM pushed the SoC's capabilities in on-device AI with Quad HD Plus display and 144Hz refresh rate support.
What's more, DCS states Qualcomm's next flagship variant chip could be preparing to debut in phones rocking a massive ~7,000mAh battery. That statement brings us to another rumor that claims such devices are in the works. Realme is supposedly testing a phone with several batteries ranging from 7,000mAh to 8,000mAh.
The company is also rumored to launch the phone in 2025.
What a "Snapdragon 8s Elite" could look like is still anyone's guess; however, it'll likely fall under the flagship that offers a dramatic power boost for phones. Qualcomm states its new Oryon CPU cores deliver a 45% single- and multi-core performance boost alongside a "44% efficiency boost" when compared to its predecessor. More specifically, the SoC features two 4.32GHz prime cores.
Unfortunately, with rumors claiming a swap from the Oryon cores, perhaps the boost will be minimal. But, as always, we'll have to wait and see.
