Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 is here — 4 ways the first 5GHz phone chip could crush Apple’s A20 Pro

In the world of mobile phone chips, Qualcomm has once again demonstrated its prowess with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and its successor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. Both chips are designed to "power the agentic AI age," offering a significant advantage over Apple's A20 Pro found in the iPhone 18 Pro. Let's delve into four key aspects where these Snapdragon-armed phones will likely outperform their Apple counterparts.

Firstly, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 boasts the world's first 5GHz mobile CPU. This innovative feature, enabled by re-engineered Oryon CPU cores, promises to deliver exceptional speeds and performance in intensive tasks. Although Apple's A20 Pro has always been known for its impressive single-core speeds, the combined power of the Prime Cores in the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 is expected to generate even more outstanding multicore speeds, potentially giving Snapdragon the edge in this regard.

Secondly, Qualcomm has introduced a 12% power improvement and new AI-dedicated GPU cores on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6. One of the most exciting additions is Adreno Neural Fusion, which combines AI super resolution and frame generation for games. Early tests suggest that games such as Naraka: Bladepoint and Honkai Star Rail have demonstrated a 40% improvement in power and performance, as well as seamless integration into game engines for future support. This could be a game-changer for bringing more AAA titles to mobile devices.

Thirdly, Qualcomm's Sensing Hub is a groundbreaking feature that supports local AI to operate effectively at all times. By listening consistently, supporting sizable models to understand personal context, and providing quicker speeds with greater efficiency, the Sensing Hub enables ambient voice capture and immediate on-device responses.

While the A20 Pro is capable of this, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 takes it a step further with a dedicated neural chip alongside the larger NPU. This enhanced AI capability will undoubtedly set Snapdragon-powered phones apart from the competition.

Lastly, the camera resolution on Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6-equipped phones has been significantly lifted. With an advanced Spectra Image Signal Processing unit (ISP), these devices are capable of handling 8K 60 FPS video recording or 4K 240 FPS slow motion. Although iPhones have always possessed a spectacular camera system, the extra sharpness offered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 cameras will certainly appeal to photography enthusiasts looking for that added detail in their captures.