Following the recent launch of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, a number of Chinese smartphone makers are preparing to introduce high-end devices that will feature this new SoC. These smartphones are set to arrive in the Chinese market this October, while global release is anticipated by late this year or early 2025.
Enhanced Performance Metrics
Qualcomm claims that the 8 Elite offers notable performance enhancements, and initial benchmark results back this up. A fresh 3DMark Steel Nomad Light test indicates that the Adreno 830 GPU outperforms the Radeon 780M, which is the graphics card included in well-known gaming handhelds like the ROG Ally X and Legion Go.
Linux Support Confirmation
An exciting detail was shared by Qualcomm’s Director of Engineering, who confirmed that the Snapdragon 8 Elite will come with native Linux support right from the start. This is certainly thrilling news for fans of mobile game emulation. The existing Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 already demonstrates potential for running PC games with programs like Winlator and Mobox.
Advancements in Mobile Emulation
In a recent demonstration by ETA Prime, titles such as Fallout 4, Bioshock Remastered, and Far Cry were shown to run smoothly on the Galaxy S24 Ultra equipped with the 8 Gen 3. With proper Linux compatibility, the Snapdragon 8 Elite could take mobile emulation to new heights.
It’s important to remember that emulation can lead to some loss in performance compared to playing games natively. Nonetheless, the impressive power of the Snapdragon 8 Elite, along with its built-in Linux support, opens the door for significant improvements in mobile emulation options.
With the necessary hardware ready, the main challenge now is to persuade developers to port their PC games to the Android system. This transition may require time, so for the moment, emulation remains the best way for Android users to enjoy PC games on their Snapdragon 8 Elite devices.
