The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is finally showing up in the wild and its first test run comes from the OnePlus Ace 6T. As Qualcomm’s new sub-premium chip, it fills the gap just below the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. But how well does it actually perform? Early benchmarks paint a picture of capable CPU muscle, paired with a noticeably pared-back GPU.

CPU benchmarks show strong results for Snapdragon 8 Gen 5

According to results from Novice Evaluation, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 holds its own in CPU-heavy workloads. On Geekbench 6, the chip scores:

• Single-core: 2,957
• Multi-core: 10,236

By comparison, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 posts slightly higher scores 3,256 and 10,358, respectively. That puts the new chip within striking distance of the Elite, at least on the CPU front.

This isn’t entirely unexpected. Qualcomm likely prioritized efficiency and thermal balance while keeping the CPU performance high enough for everyday tasks and demanding apps.

GPU tests reveal a noticeable gap

The story shifts when looking at GPU benchmarks. In 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 scores 2,088, while the Elite version hits 2,550. On WildLife Extreme, the Gen 5 logs 5,681 compared to the Elite’s 7,156 a gap of roughly 20%.

On Geekbench’s OpenCL GPU test, the pattern holds:

• Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: 17,217
• Snapdragon 8 Elite: 18,287

The reason? The Adreno 829 inside the Gen 5 is essentially a binned-down version of the Adreno 840 used in the flagship chip. That means fewer cores or lower clock speeds, depending on the configuration.

OnePlus Ace 6T gets premium CPU power, mid-tier GPU

For the OnePlus Ace 6T, this means flagship-like CPU performance with lower graphical power a trade-off that makes sense for a phone that’s not trying to lead the gaming charts. It’s still fast, efficient, and well-suited for most users, but those pushing graphical limits will notice the difference.

In short, the Snapdragon does what it was built to do: bring elite-level speed at a lower cost. Just don’t expect it to win GPU battles.