Snapdragon 8 Elite vs A17 Pro are two capable chipsets in 2025. Both these chipsets are designed to deliver exceptional performance, power efficiency, and cutting-edge features for flagship smartphones. But which one is better out of the two? In this blog, let us analyze the overall performance and offerings to find the ultimate winner in 2025.
So, let’s get started without any further ado.
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Snapdragon 8 Elite Vs A17 Pro: Specs Overview
Snapdragon 8 Elite and A17 Pro are built on 3nm process. This means, both these processors come with advanced power efficiency and enhanced thermal management.
Let us now have a look at the overall specs of these chipsets:
| Specs | Snapdragon 8 Elite | Apple A17 Pro |
| CPU | 2x 4.32 GHz- Oryon (Phoenix L) 6x 3.53 GHz- Oryon (Phoenix M) | 2x 3.78 GHz- Everest 4x 2.11 GHz- Sawtooth |
| Cores | 8 | 6 |
| Process | 3 nanometers | 3 nanometers |
| GPU | Adreno 800 | Apple A17 GPU |
| GPU Frequency | 1100 MHz | 1398 MHz |
| Neural processor (NPU) | Hexagon | Apple Neural Engine |
| Memory | LPDDR5XX 5333 MHz | LPDDR5 3200 MHz |
| Max Camera Resolution | 1x 320MP | 1x 48MP |
| Video Capture | 8K at 60FPS, 4K at 120FPS | 4K at 60FPS |
| 5G Support | Yes | Yes |
| WiFi | 7 | 6 |
| Bluetooth | 6.0 | 5.3 |
| Download Speed | Up to 10000Mbps | Up to 7500Mbps |
| Class | Flagship | Flagship |
| Announced | October 2024 | September 2023 |
Snapdragon 8 Elite Vs A17 Pro: Benchmark Scores & Gaming Performance
Benchmark scores, basically, means how well the chipset is performing in real-world. Higher the benchmark scores, better the chipset’s performance.
Here, have a look at the Snapdragon 8 Elite vs A17 Pro benchmark scores:
| Benchmark Tests | Snapdragon 8 Elite | A17 Pro | Difference |
| AnTuTu 10 | 2745854 | 1533780 | Snapdragon 8 Elite ⬆️+79% |
| GeekBench 6 Single-Core | 3155 | 2953 | Snapdragon 8 Elite ⬆️+7% |
| GeekBench 6 Multi-Core | 9723 | 7441 | Snapdragon 8 Elite ⬆️+31% |
| 3DMark | 23881 | 10006 | Snapdragon 8 Elite ⬆️+139% |
Winner: It is quite evident that Snapdragon 8 Elite is leading in benchmark scores.
Let us now have a look at the gaming performance of both these chipsets:
| Game | Snapdragon 8 Elite | Apple A17 Pro |
| Genshin Impact | 59.9 FPS, ~4.18W power draw, ~40°C | 59.2 FPS, 4.05W power draw |
| Honkai: Star Rail | 59.1 FPS, 3.67W power draw | 59 FPS, 3.86W power draw |
| BGMI | 120 FPS at Smooth + Extreme settings, 1.4W power draw | 90 FPS at Ultra Extreme settings |
| Call of Duty: Mobile | 120 FPS at HDR settings, minimal frame drops | 88.7 FPS gameplay; smooth performance |
Winner: Based on the Snapdragon 8 Elite vs A17 Pro gaming performance above, Snapdragon 8 Elite is clearly leading.
Also Read: 5 Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 Phones That Outperform Their Prices In 2025
What About The Battery Life, Camera And AI Capabilities?
Battery Life
Apple A17 Pro is built on 3nm process, similar to that of Snapdragon 8 Elite. However, the chipset’s tight integration with iOS enables it to maximize battery efficiency without compromising performance. Additionally, A17 Pro chipset is optimized for power management, enabling devices to achieve up to 1.5 hours longer battery life when compared to the 8 Elite devices.
On the other hand, Snapdragon 8 Elite is highly efficient when it comes to raw power, thus delivering exceptional speed and performance. But it also consumes more power, resulting in comparatively shorter battery life.
Winner: In the A17 Pro vs Snapdragon 8 Elite battery comparison, A17 Pro stands out, making it an ideal choice for users who prioritize longer battery life.
Camera
The Snapdragon 8 Elite is equipped with a strong camera processing unit that supports up to 200MP camera sensors. It also enables 8K video recording at 30FPS and 4K recording at 120FPS, making it highly suitable for high-resolution photography and videography. Additionally, it can handle 8K video playback at 60FPS, a feature that is particularly beneficial for content creators and mobile gamers.
A17 Pro may not support the same ultra-high-resolution sensors, but it focuses heavily on real-time image processing powered by its advanced Neural Engine. It can handle 4K video recording at 60FPS with enhanced image stabilization and HDR capabilities. Apple utilizes computational photography to deliver excellent image quality, even with lower megapixel counts.
Winner: The Snapdragon 8 Elite offers superior resolution and video recording capabilities, while the A17 Pro focuses on computational photography and real-time processing. So, both chipsets are equally capable when it comes to A17 Pro vs Snapdragon 8 Elite camera performance.
AI Capabilities
A17 Pro comes with a powerful Apple Neural Engine. This AI processor is deeply integrated with iOS, enabling advanced real-time processing for tasks like image recognition, voice commands, and augmented reality. The tight integration ensures that AI tasks are handled efficiently without draining the battery excessively.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite also features a highly capable Hexagon NPU, designed to handle complex AI tasks effectively. While it delivers impressive performance in AI-driven applications, it doesn’t quite match the A17 Pro’s integration with the operating system. Qualcomm’s focus is more on computational photography, gaming enhancements, and voice processing.
Winner: The A17 Pro has a slight edge in AI processing due to advanced Neural Engine and closer integration with iOS.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Vs A17 Pro: Workload Comparison
Here’s a detailed Snapdragon 8 Elite vs A17 Pro workload comparison based on various processing tasks to help you understand which one’s better:
| Workload | Snapdragon 8 Elite | Apple A17 Pro | % Difference | Winner |
| Asset Compression | 382.4 MB/sec | 260.8 MB/sec | +46.6% | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| HTML 5 Browser | 229.7 pages/sec | 169.6 pages/sec | +35.4% | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| PDF Renderer | 259.3 Mpixels/sec | 178.5 Mpixels/sec | +45.3% | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| Image Detection | 239.8 images/sec | 173.5 images/sec | +38.2% | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| HDR Processing | 324 Mpixels/sec | 232.4 Mpixels/sec | +39.4% | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| Background Blur | 33.5 images/sec | 27.9 images/sec | +20.1% | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| Photo Processing | 90.1 images/sec | 79.1 images/sec | +13.9% | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| Ray Tracing | 12.8 Mpixels/sec | 7.58 Mpixels/sec | +68.9% | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
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Phones Featuring Snapdragon 8 Elite & A17 Pro Chipsets
Both the Snapdragon 8 Elite and A17 Pro are flagship grade chipsets, offering exceptional performances. Here have a look at the phones featuring these chipsets:
- Snapdragon 8 Elite: Samsung Galaxy S25 series, OnePlus 13, iQOO 13
- A17 Pro: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
Before We Move Ahead…
In case, you want to read more on chipsets, check these blogs:
Which One Should You Choose?
Now, coming back to our Snapdragon 8 Elite vs A17 Pro comparison, let us see which one would be better for you, based on different criteria:
Snapdragon 8 Elite
- Best for those who want powerful performance and fast processing.
- Great for gaming with high frame rates and smooth graphics.
- Ideal for content creators who need high-resolution cameras and 8K video recording.
- Perfect for users who multitask a lot and use heavy apps.
Apple A17 Pro
- Best for those who want longer battery life and efficient power use.
- Ideal for people who take a lot of photos or use AI features.
- Perfect for those who prefer a smooth iOS experience with seamless integration.
- Great for everyday use with balanced performance.
Final Thoughts
That’s all from our end on the A17 Pro vs Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset comparison. While both the chipsets look promising in their offerings, Snapdragon 8 Elite has an overall slight edge. At the end, it all comes down to your preference- are you looking for a performance-intensive phone or the one with better AI and iOS integration?
What’s your take on this comparison? Do share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is A17 Pro better than Snapdragon 8 Elite?
A17 Pro is a capable chipset but falls a bit behind than Snapdragon 8 Elite in terms of overall performance. 8 Elite is known for high-performance tasks, intense gaming, and raw processing power. While A17 Pro excels in AI, battery life and iOS integration.
Which chipset is equal to Snapdragon 8 Elite?
Apple A18 Pro is equal to Snapdragon 8 Elite in terms of overall performance.
Can Snapdragon beat Apple?
Based on the Snapdragon 8 Elite’s benchmark scores, we can clearly say that it is leading.
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