Overview
- Built on TSMC’s 3nm N3P process, the chip pairs Oryon CPU cores with an Adreno GPU, Hexagon NPU, Spectra ISP and the X80 5G Modem-RF, with Qualcomm claiming 36% faster CPU, 11% higher GPU and 46% better AI performance versus 2023’s 8 Gen 3.
- Positioned below the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, it uses lower clock speeds and omits features like Adreno High-Performance Memory and UFS 4.1, yet retains broad support including 165 fps gaming features and advanced camera pipelines.
- OnePlus says the 15R will be the first phone with the new chip, launching December 17 in North America, and the company says it spent 24 months co-developing and tuning the platform across performance, gaming, imaging, AI, display, connectivity and network.
- Qualcomm lists iQOO, Motorola, OnePlus and Vivo among early adopters, with devices expected to arrive in the coming weeks.
- A new Qualcomm Sensing Hub combines microphone and sensor inputs to enable context-aware, always-ready assistants, though real-world behavior and privacy controls will depend on OEM implementation; an unverified tip claims reduced cache could affect gaming versus Elite, a point not yet confirmed by independent tests.