Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 in mid-2022. Since then, the chipmaker has had many new high-end chipsets, which makes this 2022’s flagship chip feel like an outdated one, but is it really so? We’ll dive into the nitty-gritty of the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 to see if it’s still a solid choice or if spending some extra cash for a newer chip will make more sense in 2025.
Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 spec sheet:
| Release Date | May 2022 |
| Process Node | 4nm (TSMC) |
| CPU | 1 x Cortex-X2 @ 3.2 GHz 3 x Cortex-A710 @ 2.75 GHz 4 x Cortex-A510 @ 2.0 GHz |
| GPU | Adreno 730 |
| Gaming | Snapdragon Elite Gaming Unreal Engine 5 support Variable Rate Shading Pro Volumetric Rendering Adreno Frame Motion Engine |
| NPU | Hexagon NPU |
| Memory | Up to 24 GB LPDDR5 @ 3200 MHz |
| Storage | UFS 3.1 |
| Camera | Triple 18-bit Spectra ISP Up to 200MP single camera 108MP single camera @ 30fps with ZSL 64MP + 36MP dual camera @ 30fps with ZSL 36MP + 36MP + 36MP triple camera @ 30fps with ZSL *ZSL = Zero Shutter Lag |
| Video Recording | 8K @ 30fps / 4K @ 120fps / 720p @ 960fps Video formats: HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG |
| Display | On-device: 4K Ultra HD @ 60 Hz, QHD+ @ 144 Hz External: 4K @ 60 Hz HDR10+ |
| Modem | Snapdragon X65 5G Downlink: 10 Gbps Uplink: 3.5 Gbps |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi: Qualcomm FastConnect 6900; Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 4 Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.3, LE Audio, aptX Voice, aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive |
Should you buy a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 phone in 2025?
Qualcomm could have actually skipped the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, but one major mistake in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 forced the company to bring the Plus version. It was the lack of thermal efficiency that Qualcomm was able to fix by switching from Samsung’s 4nm process to TSMC’s 4nm. This resulted in 30% better power efficiency.
The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 boasts a powerful CPU. It includes a Cortex-X2 prime core clocked at 3.2GHz, three Cortex-A710 performance cores at 2.75GHz, and four Cortex-A510 power-efficiency cores at 2GHz. For gaming and other graphics-intensive tasks, it has an Adreno 730 GPU.
Let’s get down to real-world usage. For everyday tasks like browsing, media consumption, and social media apps, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 rocks like any other flagship chipset. I have had absolutely zero lag, even when using multiple apps parallelly. The overall experience was smooth.
To evaluate the gaming capabilities of the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, we tested multiple games on the ROG Phone 6 Pro, and the results were fantastic. The device smoothly runs PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Genshin Impact at consistent 60fps. Even at higher settings, the performance was consistent. Overall, I was impressed with the gaming performance offered by Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.
One key omission from this Snapdragon chip is ray tracing support that enhances visual realism by offering lifelike lighting effects and dynamic shadows. Apart from that I think the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 has enough to satisfy the gaming needs of most people.
Connectivity is another crucial part of a chip, and I find nothing to complain about. It has all the necessary connectivity features, plus fast Wi-Fi (up to 3.6Gbps) and mobile data connection (up to 10Gbps). The chipset has triple 18-bit ISPs and supports up to 200-megapixel single cameras. The maximum video recording is capped at 8K at 30fps.
Also Read: Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 vs 8 Gen 2: are there any solid upgrades?
Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 in 2025: Final words
The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is still powerful enough to smoothly run modern apps and games, thanks to high-performance CPU and GPU. It smoothly handles everyday tasks without any lag. Even the highly resource-intensive games, such as PUBG, Call of Duty, and Genshin Impact, run without any noticeable lag.
Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 can be more lucrative if you can find great deals that significantly bring down the price.
Best Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 phones:
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