Qualcomm introduced the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset in September, and several smartphone makers quickly followed with new flagships powered by it. Devices such as the OnePlus 15, Realme GT 8 Pro, and iQOO 15 are among the models featuring the chip and are expected to arrive in India soon. With most major Android flagships now launched, Qualcomm is preparing to unveil another high-end processor: the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. This upcoming chipset is expected to serve as a flagship-tier alternative to the more premium 8 Elite Gen 5.
While Qualcomm has yet to officially announce the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, multiple leaks have already revealed key details. As the name indicates, the chipset is expected to sit below the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, while still sharing much of its core architecture. According to tipster Digital Chat Station on Weibo, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 will use Qualcomm’s Oryon CPU and be manufactured on TSMC’s N3P process. The leaked configuration includes two high-performance cores clocked at 3.8GHz and six additional cores at 3.32GHz, paired with an Adreno 840 GPU. Although the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is not expected to match the peak speeds of the 8 Elite Gen 5, the chipset should still deliver flagship-level performance.
The tipster also claims the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 will use the same GPU architecture as the flagship 8 Elite Gen 5, though with fewer processing units to keep costs down. Despite the reduction, the GPU is still expected to run at the same 1.2GHz clock speed. On the performance front, early estimates suggest the chipset could score above 3.3 million on AnTuTu. All of this sounds quite promising, but we’ll still have to wait for reviews and in-house benchmark tests to figure out its actual processing power.
Upcoming smartphones powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 have also begun appearing in leaks. One of the first could be the OnePlus Ace 6 Pro Max, which is rumoured to debut with the new chipset. The device is tipped to feature a 6.7-inch flat 1.5K OLED display with a 165Hz refresh rate, an 8,000mAh battery with 100W fast charging, a 50MP OIS-enabled main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a 32MP front camera.
The Ace lineup sits below OnePlus’s flagship series and typically launches globally under the “R” branding. While the Pro variants usually remain exclusive to China, the standard Ace models are released internationally. Based on past trends, the OnePlus Ace 6 series may arrive as the OnePlus 15R in markets like India, though it remains to be seen how the company will position the Ace 6 Pro Max.
Vivo S50 Pro Mini aka X300 FE
A surprising contender in this list is the Vivo S50 Pro Mini, which will famously launch as the X300 FE outside China. What would have traditionally been a MediaTek chipset, the Dimensity 9400+ to be precise, could be swapped for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. This would be a first for Vivo, but might be a welcoming change. The Vivo X50 Pro Mini is tipped to launch as the brand’s compact phone, succeeding the S30 Pro Mini and X200 FE. It’s rumoured to feature a 6.31-inch 1.5K flat display and house a bigger battery than the X300, which has a 6,040mAh battery.
OPPO K15 Turbo Pro
Another phone that may be in the running for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset is the OPPO K15 Turbo Pro. It would succeed the K13 Turbo Pro, which launched as OPPO’s first dedicated gaming phone with a built-in cooling fan. According to leaked details shared by Digital Chat Station, the OPPO K15 Turbo Pro might feature a 6.78-inch LTPS display with a 1.5K resolution, and a bigger battery. This device will reportedly feature the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip.
Based on current leaks and rumours, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 appears to maintain flagship-level architecture while targeting a lower price segment. The smartphones expected to launch with this chipset also seem performance-focused, suggesting strong competition in the upper-tier market. Since these devices are likely to be priced below full-fledged flagships, they could offer good value for buyers willing to wait. There’s no official launch timeline yet, and Snapdragon 8 Gen 5-powered phones may still be a while away, but if you’re not in a hurry to upgrade, they may be worth holding out for.
