Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 vs Extreme compared
Key takeaways
- Both chips are built on a 2nm process, so the gap comes from GPU, video features and CPU performance claims rather than manufacturing technology.
- The Extreme has two Oryon Prime cores at 5.0GHz, plus a GPU 44% higher performance than the previous generation versus 35% on the standard chip.
Qualcomm's new flagship smartphone chips, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, share a 2nm foundation but diverge in performance claims and camera capabilities. The Oryon CPU reaches 5GHz as the world's first mobile CPU to do so, marking a performance milestone for both variants.
Five key differences
Clock speed. The Extreme uses two Oryon Prime cores clocked at up to 5.0GHz alongside six Performance cores at up to 4.0GHz. The standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 uses the same core configuration at the same speeds.
CPU performance claims. Qualcomm claims the Extreme's CPU delivers 13% higher performance compared to the previous-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, while the standard Gen 6 offers 10% higher CPU performance.
GPU performance. The Extreme's Adreno GPU is claimed to offer 44% higher performance and 40% better power efficiency than the previous generation. The standard chip's GPU is claimed to deliver 35% higher performance and 40% better efficiency.
Video recording. The Extreme records 8K video at 60fps and 4K slow-motion at 240fps, and supports the Advanced Professional Video codec. The standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 records 8K at 30fps and 4K at 120fps.
Camera pipeline. The Extreme features triple 20-bit Qualcomm Spectra AI ISPs with support for up to three 64MP cameras with Zero Shutter Lag, a single 108MP camera with Zero Shutter Lag, and image capture at up to 320MP. The standard chip also has triple 20-bit AI ISPs with the same camera support.
What both chips share
Both platforms use the same 2nm process and share identical CPU configurations with 16MB of Oryon Flex Cache. The Extreme offers 37% better CPU power efficiency over the previous generation. Both feature the Hexagon NPU, the X105 5G modem with peak downloads of 14.8Gbps, Wi-Fi 8 support with peak speeds of 11.6Gbps, Bluetooth 6.0, UFS 5.0 storage and LPDDR6 memory support.
Qualcomm has named Honor, iQOO, Motorola, OnePlus, Oppo, Redmi, RedMagic, Vivo and Xiaomi as the first brands to utilise the new flagship chip.
