Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 7-core version announced; Here’s what’s special

Qualcomm has introduced a new version of its Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. The latest version comes with a 7-core CPU as opposed to the 8-core CPU in the original Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. As you can guess, this chipset sits below the original, and we could see it powering affordable premium devices.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Snapdragon 8 Elite 7-core version, from specifications to the phones shipping with this chipset.

What’s special about the Snapdragon 8 Elite 7-core?

The all-new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 7-core chipset comes with a combination of prime cores and performance cores. There are two prime cores (Oryon Prime CPU) clocked at up to 4.32GHz and five performance cores (Oryon Performance CPU) clocked at up to 3.53Ghz.

Like the Snapdragon 8 Elite 8-core chipset, this version of the chipset is also based on the 3nm process. It supports up to 24GB of LPDDR5x RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. As for the display compatibility, it supports up to 4K 60Hz or QHD+ 240Hz with 10-bit colour depth.

The chipset also comes with Qualcomm’s Adreno GPU for gaming and Hexagon NPU for AI workloads. As for connectivity, the chipset supports Snapdragon X80 5G modem, which means that the devices powered by this chipset can support full-fledged 5G, including 5G mmWave and sub-6GHz (depending on the region).

Further, the chipset also has Qualcomm’s FastConnect 7900 mobile connectivity system, and it supports up to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0. It also supports USB-C at speeds of up to USB 3.1.

What phones will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite 7-core?

The specifications of the new Snapdragon 8 Elite 7-core chipset are similar to that of the Snapdragon 8 Elite 8-core version. Having said that, expect this 7-core chipset to be placed below the 8-core version of the 8 Elite. As a result, smartphones powered by this chipset may be slightly affordable than devices powered by the original 8 Elite.

ALSO READ: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite announced with massive performance boost and more

However, it’s still unclear as to how Qualcomm plans to place this chipset against the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. For those unaware, the latter is a flagship chipset from last year and manufacturers are expected to use it in their mid-premium phones this year.

OnePlus is among many other brands that has already started using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset in its mid-premium offering. The new OnePlus 13R, for instance, comes with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset for Rs 42,999.

As of now, Qualcomm hasn’t revealed what phones will power the new 7-core version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Guess, we’ll have to wait a little longer to know more about that.