Snapdragon 8 Elite phones: the list of smartphones with Qualcomm's chip
We've tested the first set of Snapdragon 8 Elite phones as the growing list of Android devices and benchmark tests show Qualcomm has come out swinging.
⚙️ Qualcomm’s new 3nm chip to power many top Android phones in 2025
📆 First phones globally launched 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 outperforms Apple’s A18 Pro chip in many benchmarks
Update: We’ve tested the first Snapdragon 8 Elite phones in the US with our OnePlus 13 review and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra hands-on, and the real-life results from Qualcomm’s new chipset blew us away.
The Shortcut’s performance tests of the first Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite show this new Android chipset outperforms Apple’s A18 chip in the iPhone 16 Pro. It’s not called Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, as expected, but the 8 Elite is the official sequel to the premier chip found in Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 phones – and more.
Qualcomm is bringing a new level of performance to next-generation Android phones.
The best news is that the Snapdragon 8 Elite phones list will grow into 2025. OnePlus and Samsung launched the first US smartphones with the chipset in January 2025. According to our extensive list below, they won’t be alone as the year goes on. Qualcomm is bringing a new level of performance to next-generation Android phones.
Qualcomm’s official Snapdragon 8 Elite launch event was in Hawaii in October. There, the company hosted The Shortcut and other technology publications to preview and benchmark its next-generation Android chipset. Here’s what we know.
Snapdragon 8 Elite phones list
Globally, the first four Snapdragon 8 Elite smartphones out of the gate are the Xiaomi 15, Honor Magic 7 Pro, Asus ROG Phone 9, and the RealmeGT 7 Pro. The OnePlus 13, which was initially announced in China, launched in January 2025 and Samsung‘s trio of Galaxy S25 phones are arriving in the US on February 9.
OnePlus 13
Samsung Galaxy S25
Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Xiaomi 15
Realme GT7 Pro
Honor Magic 7 Pro
Asus ROG Phone 9
Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro
Snapdragon 9 Elite is powering 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.
Which phones will the Snapdragon 8 Elite be in?
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 Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a major star on the Snapdragon 9 Elite phones list, but it wasn’t the first to utilize the Qualcomm chipset.
Samsung is no longer leading the pack, as Chinese phone manufacturers now like to rush out devices with the latest chipset to wow consumers. In fact, it wasn’t even the first in the US. The OnePlus 13 was the first phone in the United States to feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite System on a Chip.
Rumored Snapdragon 8 Elite phones list
Officially, Qualcomm said that Snapdragon 8 Elite phone manufacturers will include “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 3 list, here’s our list of rumored Snapdragon 8 Elite phones.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7
Xiaomi 15 Ultra
Motorola Razr+ 2025
Oppo Find X8 Ultra
Vivo iQOO 13
Vivo iQOO 13 Pro
ZTE Nubia Red Magic 10 Pro
ZTE Nubia Red Magic 10 Pro Plus
Among the Snapdragon 8 Elite phones, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra may launch next at MWC 2025. The newly unveiled Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is also widely expected to carry the chipset despite its super-slim design.
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.
One thing to note is that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has a much larger vapor chamber to keep the Snapdragon 8 Elite cool during long gaming sessions. It’s 40% larger than the vapor chamber found inside the S24 Ultra, leading to year-over-year CPU performance gains of 37% and GPU performance gains of 30%.
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 continue to test and review Qualcomm’s new chipset between now and when more phones are added to the list at MWC 2025. Stay tuned for even more benchmarking scores and real-life tests in the next update, according to our findings from the new Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.