Qualcomm Unveils a Seven Core Variant of the Snapdragon 8 Elite

Qualcomm unveiled its Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile SoC in October last year and the octa-core chipset currently powers a couple of flagship handsets from prominent OEMs like Realme and OnePlus. Now, the chipmaker has silently released a new version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip with seven cores. The new variant offers the same clock speeds as the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite. Smartphone makers are expected to equip their handsets with this new seven-core Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset in the coming months. The new chip has Prime and Performance cores in a 2+5 configuration.

Qualcomm’s New Snapdragon 8 Elite Variant Has One Less Performance Core

The chipmaker listed a new variant of the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset with part number SM8750-3-AB on its website. This version has seven CPU cores, with two Prime cores clocked at up to 4.32 GHz, and five Performance cores clocked at up to 3.53 GHz. This means that the new variant has one less Performance core, compared to the original Snapdragon 8 Elite.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile platform that arrived last October (SM8750-AB) has eight CPU cores — two Prime cores clocked at up to 4.32GHz and six Performance cores clocked at up to 3.53GHz. The remaining specifications of the new chipset are similar, suggesting that it could be a binned version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. It is also built on a 3-nanometre fabrication process and features the chipmaker’s Snapdragon X80 5G Modem-RF system.

The new Snapdragon 8 Elite is expected to cost less than the original octa-core version. Smartphone makers are likely to consider the new chipset as a more cost-effective option for their lower-volume flagships. However, Qualcomm has yet to reveal a list of OEMs that will be the first equip their smartphones with the new Snapdragon 8 Elite variant.

Meanwhile, Qualcomm is said to be working on a Snapdragon 8s Elite SoC as a successor to last year’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC. It is likely to be a toned-down version of the regular Snapdragon 8 Elite flagship SoC, according to recent reports.