Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 First Benchmark Scores

The first benchmark scores for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 (also known as the Snapdragon 8 Elite) show a Geekbench 6 multi-core score around 10,000 and a single-core score around 3,200, based on early engineering samples tested in late 2024. These numbers come from leaked device listings and vendor-run tests, not from Qualcomm’s official validation, so final retail units may score slightly higher or lower. Here’s what those scores mean, how they compare to the previous generation, and what to expect from real-world performance.

Formula

The benchmark scores themselves are not calculated from a formula — they are raw results from test software like Geekbench 6 and AnTuTu. However, to understand what a score means, you can compare it to a baseline. The common formula for relative performance improvement is:

Improvement (%) = (New Score − Old Score) ÷ Old Score × 100

Where:

• New Score = the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 benchmark result (e.g., 10,000 multi-core)
• Old Score = the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 result (e.g., 7,400 multi-core)

This gives a quick percentage gain, but it does not account for thermal throttling, test conditions, or the fact that different benchmark versions produce different scales.

Worked Example

Using the default values from the calculator above (a 10 km run in 50 minutes), the average pace is 50 ÷ 10 = 5 minutes per kilometer, and the average speed is 10 ÷ (50/60) = 12 km/h. That example is unrelated to chips, but it illustrates how to interpret a ratio — the same way you’d compare benchmark scores.

For the chip comparison: if the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 scores 7,400 and the 8 Gen 4 scores 10,000, the improvement is (10,000 − 7,400) ÷ 7,400 × 100 = 35.1%. That is a large generational jump, but real-world app performance rarely scales linearly with synthetic benchmarks.

Background: What Is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4?

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is Qualcomm’s flagship mobile processor announced in October 2024, and it is the first Snapdragon 8-series chip to use custom Oryon CPU cores instead of ARM’s standard Cortex designs. It is manufactured on TSMC’s 3nm process, which improves power efficiency and transistor density. The chip features a 2+6 CPU layout: two high-performance cores clocked up to 4.32 GHz and six efficiency cores up to 3.53 GHz. The Adreno 830 GPU handles graphics, and the Hexagon NPU powers on-device AI tasks.

The first devices using the 8 Gen 4 include the Xiaomi 15 series, OnePlus 13, and Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra (in some regions), though Samsung also uses its own Exynos chip in other markets.

First Benchmark Scores: What the Leaks Show

Early Geekbench 6 results, which appeared on benchmarking databases in September and October 2024, show:

• Single-core: around 3,200–3,300
• Multi-core: around 10,000–10,500
• AnTuTu 10: around 2.8 million total score
• GPU (GFXBench Aztec Ruins): roughly 110–120 fps at 1080p

These results were captured on engineering test units with active cooling and no thermal throttling, so they represent the chip’s peak capability. Retail phones will likely score slightly lower under sustained load because of heat dissipation limits.

Compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (which scores about 2,300 single-core and 7,400 multi-core in Geekbench 6), the 8 Gen 4 shows roughly a 40% improvement in multi-core and 40% in single-core. That is a significant jump, driven by the higher clock speeds and the new Oryon cores.

How the Scores Are Measured

Benchmark apps run a fixed set of tasks and produce a score relative to a reference device. Geekbench 6 measures CPU performance with workloads like image processing, cryptography, and machine learning. AnTuTu combines CPU, GPU, memory, and UX tests into one total. Each app has its own scoring scale, so you cannot compare a Geekbench score to an AnTuTu score directly.

For the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, the key factors that affect the scores are:

• Clock speed: The Oryon cores run at up to 4.32 GHz, which is high for a phone chip.
• Thermal management: Phones with vapor chambers or larger heat spreaders sustain higher clocks longer.
• Memory: The chip supports LPDDR5X at up to 10.7 Gbps, which improves memory bandwidth scores.
• Software optimization: Early drivers and firmware can limit performance; final retail software usually improves scores.

How to Choose a Phone Based on Benchmark Scores

Benchmark scores are useful for comparing raw performance, but they do not tell the whole story. When choosing a phone with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, consider:

• Thermals: A phone with a good cooling system will maintain performance during gaming or video editing.
• Battery life: The 3nm process helps efficiency, but a larger battery still matters for all-day use.
• Software updates: Qualcomm promises 8 years of OS and security updates for the 8 Gen 4, but the phone maker must actually deliver them.
• Real-world tasks: Daily app launch times, camera processing, and gaming frame rates are better judged by reviews than by synthetic scores.

Common Problems and Misconceptions

One common misconception is that a higher benchmark score always means a faster phone. In reality, a phone that scores 10,000 but throttles after 10 minutes of gaming will feel slower than one that scores 9,000 and stays consistent. Another issue is that benchmark apps can be optimized for specific chips, so a high score on one app may not translate to another.

Another problem is that early leaked scores are often from devices with special cooling or overclocked settings, which are not representative of retail units. Also, some manufacturers have been caught

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in t | Finish time | min | 50 | 0
in d | Distance | km | 10 | 0 | 100000
out pace | Average pace | min/km | t / d | 2
out speed | Average speed | km/h | d / (t / 60) | 2