C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Qualcomm has listed a new 7-core variant of the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
- This new variant (SM8750-3-AB) is essentially the same as the flagship chipset with one fewer Performance core.
Qualcomm released its latest flagship mobile chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, last October. The octa-core chip has already made its way to the market, powering top-end devices from OnePlus, Nubia, and Xiaomi. This chip will also make an appearance on Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S25 series, but Qualcomm seems to have another, less capable variant of the Snapdragon 8 Elite that could power a new range of affordable flagships.
The chipmaker recently listed this Snapdragon 8 Elite variant (part number SM8750-3-AB) on its website. The main difference between the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite and this new variant is that the latter features one less performance core.
The flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite packs eight CPU cores, consisting of two Prime cores clocked at up to 4.32GHz and six Performance cores clocked at up to 3.53GHz. In contrast, the new chip has Prime and Performance cores in a 2+5 configuration. The remaining specifications remain unchanged, leading us to believe it could be a binned version with one Performance core disabled.
The hepta-core Snapdragon 8 Elite will likely cost less than the full-blown flagship chipset and, as such, could help OEMs launch a new range of affordable flagship phones. However, we currently don’t have any confirmation on that front, so we’ll have to wait to see how things pan out.
It’s worth noting that Qualcomm is also said to be working on another sub-flagship SoC called the Snapdragon 8s Elite. Leaks suggest that this chip will feature one Cortex-X4 Prime core clocked at 3.21GHz, three Cortex-A720 Performance cores clocked at 3.01GHz, two Cortex-A720 Efficiency cores clocked at 2.80GHz, and two more Efficiency cores closed at 2.02GHz.
The rumored Snapdragon 8s Elite has the same core configuration as last year’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip but has lower clock speeds across the board. Therefore, it shouldn’t be as capable as the hepta-core Snapdragon 8 Elite, potentially limiting it to premium mid-range smartphones.
