Qualcomm Announces Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Chip For Flagship Android Phones GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO News > Phones
Qualcomm Announces Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Chip For Flagship Android Phones
Better cameras, better performance, and improved AI
By Lawrence Bonk Lawrence Bonk News Reporter Florida State University Lawrence Bonk is a tech news reporter for Lifewire, specializing in gaming, AI, VR, and consumer tech, including iOS, macOS, wearables, and more. lifewire's editorial guidelines Published on December 1, 2021 12:12PM EST Fact checked by Jerri Ledford Fact checked by Jerri Ledford Western Kentucky University Gulf Coast Community College Jerri L. Ledford has been writing, editing, and fact-checking tech stories since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Phones Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming Qualcomm just gave a little preview of what will power the flagship Android phones of 2022 and beyond. The manufacturing giant has announced their Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 smartphone processor chip at their annual Snapdragon Tech Summit, with further details laid out in a company blog post. This follow-up to last year’s Snapdragon 888 looks to have plenty of bells and whistles underneath the hood. Qualcomm Aside from the new single-digit naming scheme, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is the first chip from the company to use the Armv9 architecture from Arm, with an eight-core Kryo CPU that includes a primary core, three performance cores, and four efficiency cores. There’s also a new Adreno GPU, which promises 30 percent faster graphics rendering and a new control panel for fine-tuning how games run. All told, the company says the chip offers a 20 percent increase in performance and a 30 percent increase in power efficiency over last year’s model. The camera capabilities have also been significantly beefed up, bundling together under the company’s new “Snapdragon Sight” branding. There’s support for shooting in 8K video with HDR 10 Plus and shooting in 18-bit RAW, with a 3.2-gigapixel per second throughput for still images. As for AI, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 includes the company’s latest Hexagon processor and affiliated seventh-gen AI engine. The company says the increased AI horsepower allows the chip to emulate certain camera effects in real-time and allows for AI-powered sampling for increased graphics with mobile games. The chip will begin appearing in flagship Android phones in early 2022. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire New Apple TV 4K Refresh Boasts Updated A15 Bionic Chip, HDR10+, and More Motorola Moto G7 Review: A Great Budget Phone With Flagship Looks OnePlus 10: News, Price, Release Date Estimate, Features, and Rumors The 9 Best Smartphones of 2022 Samsung Z Flip 4: News, Price, Release Date, and Specs Apple iPhone 12 mini Review: Big Things Come in Small Packages The 9 Best Android Phones, Tested by Experts Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Review: Android’s Top Option OnePlus 8T Review: Spotty Cameras Hold Back This Speedy Beast The 7 Best Processors of 2022 Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max Review: Bigger Can Be Better Google Pixel 5 Review: Modest Power, Flagship Perks Apple iPhone 12 Review: The Best New iPhone in Years Motorola Moto Z3 Review: The First Verizon 5G Phone Motorola One Review: Looks Like an iPhone, Costs a Fraction of One Google Pixel 3a XL Review: The Best Phone Under $500 Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies