The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Snapdragon 860 are designed for different smartphone use cases. Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 targets flagship devices with support for advanced 5G connectivity, AI-powered imaging, high-refresh-rate gaming, and 8K video recording. Snapdragon 860 is intended for premium 4G smartphones, offering capable CPU and GPU performance for everyday multitasking, mobile gaming, multimedia streaming, and high-resolution photography without integrated 5G support.
General
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Snapdragon 860 general specifications highlight their launch period, manufacturing process, connectivity, and intended smartphone category. Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 targets flagship Android smartphones with integrated 5G, whereas Snapdragon 860 is designed for premium 4G devices.
| Specification | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Snapdragon 860 |
|---|
| Launch date | December 2021 | March 2021 |
| Brand | Qualcomm | Qualcomm |
| Model | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Snapdragon 860 |
| Target segment | Flagship smartphones | Premium 4G smartphones |
| Network support | 5G, 4G LTE | 4G LTE |
| Process node | 4nm | 7nm |
| Foundry | Samsung | TSMC |
CPU
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 features Qualcomm Kryo CPU based on Armv9 architecture with one Cortex-X2 prime core, three Cortex-A710 performance cores, and four Cortex-A510 efficiency cores. Snapdragon 860 uses Qualcomm Kryo 485 CPU derived from Arm Cortex-A76 and Cortex-A55 architectures. Both processors support 64-bit Android applications.
| Specification | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Snapdragon 860 |
|---|
| CPU architecture | Armv9 (Kryo CPU with Cortex-X2, Cortex-A710, Cortex-A510) | Kryo 485 (Arm Cortex-A76 and Cortex-A55 based) |
| Prime core | 1 × Cortex-X2 @ 3.0GHz | 1 × Kryo 485 Prime @ 2.96GHz |
| Performance cores | 3 × Cortex-A710 @ 2.5GHz | 3 × Kryo 485 Gold @ 2.42GHz |
| Efficiency cores | 4 × Cortex-A510 @ 1.8GHz | 4 × Kryo 485 Silver @ 1.8GHz |
| CPU configuration | 1+3+4 | 1+3+4 |
| Maximum clock speed | 3.0GHz | 2.96GHz |
| Instruction set | Armv9-A | Armv8-A |
| 64-bit support | Yes | Yes |
Graphics
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 integrates Qualcomm's latest Adreno GPU with Snapdragon Elite Gaming technologies, hardware-accelerated ray tracing support, and Variable Rate Shading. Snapdragon 860 includes the Adreno 640 GPU with Snapdragon Elite Gaming features introduced with the Snapdragon 855 series.
| Specification | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Snapdragon 860 |
|---|
| GPU | Adreno GPU | Adreno 640 |
| GPU architecture | Latest Adreno architecture | Adreno 600 series |
| GPU frequency | Not officially specified | Not officially specified |
| Snapdragon Elite Gaming | Yes | Yes |
| Vulkan support | Yes | Yes |
| OpenGL ES | 3.2 | 3.2 |
| Hardware video acceleration | Yes | Yes |
| Game Super Resolution | Supported | Not supported |
Memory
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 supports LPDDR5 memory with significantly higher bandwidth than Snapdragon 860. Snapdragon 860 supports LPDDR4X memory suitable for premium Android smartphones.
| Specification | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Snapdragon 860 |
|---|
| Memory type | LPDDR5 | LPDDR4X |
| Maximum memory frequency | 3200MHz | 1866MHz |
| Memory bus width | 64-bit | 64-bit |
| Memory bandwidth | 51.2GB/s | 29.9GB/s |
| Memory channels | Dual-channel | Dual-channel |
Multimedia (ISP)
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 integrates the 18-bit Qualcomm Spectra ISP capable of processing up to 3.2 gigapixels per second. Snapdragon 860 uses the Qualcomm Spectra 380 ISP with support for high-resolution photography and advanced computational imaging.
| Specification | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Snapdragon 860 |
|---|
| ISP | Qualcomm Spectra 18-bit ISP | Qualcomm Spectra 380 ISP |
| UFS storage | UFS 3.1 | UFS 3.1 |
| Maximum display resolution | 4K UHD @ 60Hz | 4K UHD external display |
| Maximum display refresh rate | QHD+ @ 144Hz | Not officially specified |
| Maximum camera resolution | 200MP | 192MP |
| Triple camera support | Yes | Yes |
| Video recording | 8K HDR @ 30fps, 4K HDR @ 120fps | 4K @ 60fps |
| Video playback | Up to 8K HDR | Up to 4K HDR |
| Codec support | H.264, H.265 (HEVC), VP9, AV1 decode | H.264, H.265 (HEVC), VP9 |
Connectivity and network
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 integrates the Snapdragon X65 5G Modem-RF System supporting multi-gigabit 5G speeds, while Snapdragon 860 uses the Snapdragon X24 LTE modem for advanced 4G LTE connectivity.
| Specification | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Snapdragon 860 |
|---|
| Modem | Snapdragon X65 5G Modem-RF | Snapdragon X24 LTE modem |
| 5G support | Yes | No |
| 4G LTE | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum download speed | Up to 10Gbps | Up to 2Gbps |
| Maximum upload speed | Up to 3Gbps | Up to 316Mbps |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6 |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.2 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| GNSS | GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, NavIC, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, NavIC, QZSS |