Table of ContentsTable of ContentsThe phones used for testingTesting the difference that 1 core makesSnapdragon 8 Elite 8-core vs 7-core: BatteryHow much of a difference does 1 core make?The Snapdragon 8 Elite powers most of the best Android phones, and brings a vast increase in power for CPU, GPU, and NPU tasks. However, one of the key problems facing Qualcomm is the current trend of thin phones, as the Snapdragon 8 Elite requires better cooling to effectively dissipate heat.The companys answer? The 7-core Snapdragon 8 Elite. It is essentially the same chipset but with one performance core removed in favor of better cooling and heat dissipation. Its ideal for devices like the worlds thinnest foldable the Oppo Find N5 which uses the new chipset.Recommended VideosLosing one performance core may be an acceptable sacrifice for the promise of better battery life, but does it deliver? Qualcomm says it is around 14 percent slower than the overclocked 8-core variant, but what do the benchmarks show, and is this a worthy compromise? I tested both variants to find out.RelatedAndy Boxall / Digital TrendsIts worth noting the phones that I used for testing each processor, and the methods used for testing. For the benchmarks, weve picked two well-known benchmarks that we also use to benchmark phones for our reviews: GeekBench 6 and 3DMark. More on this below.Each phone maker has different optimizations in software, and different phones come with varying degrees and types of RAM and storage. To account for these variances, we picked the OnePlus 13 which is powered by the 8-core Snapdragon 8 Elite and has the closest experience to the Oppo Find N5.Nirave Gondhia / Digital TrendsThe Oppo Find N5 is the first phone to run the new 7-core Snapdragon 8 Elite, which is necessitated by its thin profile that measures just 4.2mm thick when unfolded. I have only spent a couple of days with the new foldable, so its too early to talk about overall performance, but many of the findings below are also prevalent in real-world usage.Nirave Gondhia / Digital TrendsTo test the differences between the two chipsets, we ran a series of three benchmarks multiple times on the Oppo Find N5 and calculated the average of the results. Weve previously tested the OnePlus 13 multiple times so used an average of those results.Where possible, Ive also included additional results on devices running both the Snapdragon 8 Elite and other processors, as tested by myself or my colleagues. Its worth noting that most of these phones also have similar specs, but have differences in the rest of the specs package.For GeekBench, I ran the CPU and GPU tests, resulting in three scores for single-core and multi-core CPU performance, and GPU performance under heavy loads.TestCPU SingleCPU MultiGPUOnePlus 13 (Snapdragon 8 Elite 8-core)3107921318065Oppo Find X8 Pro (Dimensity 9400)2753810220522Realme GT7 Pro(Snapdragon 8 Elite 8-core)3112942519065ROG Phone 9 Pro(Snapdragon 8 Elite 8-core)3073985519403Oppo Find X8(Dimensity 9400)2839799120349Oppo Find N5(Snapdragon 8 Elite 7-core)2885797813875Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra(Snapdragon 8 Gen 3)2314710415898Samsung Galaxy S24 FE(Exynos 2400e)2122662515526Unsurprisingly, one fewer performance core has a large impact on all tasks. While the CPU performance is in line with the Mediatek Dimensity 9400 and the Oppo Find N5 runs as smooth as the Find X8 Pro there is a marked impact on graphical performance.Looking at last years devices, the graphical performance of the 7-core 8 Elite also does not match the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, or the Exynos 2400e. CPU performance is markedly improved, but the GPU performance leaves a lot to be desired.In the Geekbench 6 test, the Snapdragon 8 Elite 7-core reveals severe throttling in both CPU and GPU performance, but this is just one test: does our next also reveal the same trends? This test is split into two parts: we tested the GPU in each device on the Solar Bay test for performance but also ran the Solar Bay Stress Test to test the battery life under heavy performance needs.TestSolar BayOnePlus 13 (Snapdragon 8 Elite 8-core)11714Oppo Find X8 Pro (Dimensity 9400)11560Realme GT7 Pro(Snapdragon 8 Elite 8-core)11200Oppo Find N5(Snapdragon 8 Elite 7-core)9333Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra(Snapdragon 8 Gen 3)8674Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra(Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 8-core)12119Here the 7-core Snapdragon 8 Elite displays similar trends to the CPU testing, with a 20% reduction in GPU performance. Ultimately this means the Find N5 wont be as good for gaming necessitated by the extremely thin profile as the OnePlus 13 but this will only impact gameplay on the best AAA games.Overall graphical performance is still improved over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 used in last years Galaxy S24 Ultra, but its not as vast an improvement as the 8-core variant.QualcommThe other area that a processor will impact heavily is the battery life. Optimizations in battery life can mean the difference between four hours and six hours of gameplay, and intensive gaming is a great way to test the ability of each device to operate at sustained peak loads.To do this, we use the Solar Bay Stress Test, which runs a longer version of the Solar Bay test for twenty minutes. Its core premise is to showcase how a device will perform over extended periods of ray-traced gaming, but its also a good indicator of overall graphical performance.Alongside the score produced, we also log the battery drain to understand the overall impact of 20 minutes of resource-intensive gaming on your battery life. However, considering that each battery has different characteristics and capacities, Ive standardized the battery drain by approximating the capacity lost in milliampere-hours (mAh).In effect, a higher battery drain in mAh means the phone can sustain peak gaming performance for a shorter time.TestSolar BayStress TestBattery Drain(%)Battery Drain(mAh)OnePlus 13 (Snapdragon 8 Elite)1177417%~ 1,000 mAhOppo Find X8 Pro (Dimensity 9400)110519%~ 530 mAhROG Phone 9 Pro(Snapdragon 8 Elite)1000913%~ 750 mAhGalaxy S24 Ultra(Snapdragon 8 Gen 3)830810%~ 500 mAhGalaxy S25 Ultra(Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 8-core)1050013%~650 mAhOppo Find N5(Snapdragon 8 Elite 7-core)915611%~615 mAhOne of the key problems with the Snapdragon 8 Elite is the battery drain under extended peak performance, and the 7-core Snapdragon 8 Elite is designed to offer similar performance while reducing the battery drain.Looking at the results, theres a marked improvement in the battery life compared to the OnePlus 13, but thats mainly indicative of the Snapdragon 8 Elite 8-core variant requiring significantly power than previous years. The best showcase of this is the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which scores 25% higher than the Galaxy S24 Ultra, but drains 30% more battery in the same test.QualcommThe 8-core version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite is a performance powerhouse, but it drains a lot of battery under extended loads and requires a larger vapor chamber for heat dissipation. For many of the best Android phones, fulfilling these requirements isnt a problem, but there are plenty of devices where this isnt feasible.For them, the 7-core variant exists, which removes a performance core for the promise of better battery life and heat management. Its meant to enable phones to become even thinner, and will probably be the chipset inside the new Galaxy S25 Edge.Nirave Gondhia / Digital TrendsThe trade-off is the 10-15% drop in CPU performance which is forgivable, and the bigger drop in GPU performance which is unforgivable. The power requirements and success of the 8-core variant mean expectations are high for an inferior product with the same name, and it feels like this is closer to the Snapdragon 8s Elite than being a true flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite processor.Branding aside, its still great for day-to-day usage, but it lacks that extra punch that makes a phone with the 8-core Snapdragon 8 Elite processor so appealing. It remains to be seen if the battery life is improved enough for this to be a worthwhile trade-off, but Ill cover this in more detail in my upcoming Find N5 feature.Editors Recommendations