Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 vs Apple A19 Pro and Dimensity 9500: performance and power draw tested

Qualcomm’s newly introduced Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 flagship processor has undergone a new round of testing that assessed not only performance but also power consumption against Apple’s A19 Pro and MediaTek’s Dimensity 9500. The YouTube channel Geekerwan published the data, setting Qualcomm’s top-tier chip against its rivals and its predecessor.

The results indicate that under full CPU load the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 draws about 19 W, while the Apple A19 Pro stays at 12 W, and both the Dimensity 9500 and the previous Snapdragon come in at 17 W. Despite the bigger appetite, Qualcomm’s newcomer delivers 17% stronger multi-threaded performance than MediaTek’s solution. With comparable efficiency, Apple’s A19 Pro is limited by fewer cores and lower clock speeds, so it trails the Snapdragon in heavy workloads.

Graphics testing tells a different story. In 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 consumes around 12 W—1–3 W less than its competitors—while outpacing the Apple A19 Pro in raw power. At the same time, the Dimensity 9500 posted higher GPU performance, positioning it as a potentially more attractive choice for gaming phones. Even so, early gaming trials suggest the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 still delivers slightly higher frame rates at nearly the same power draw.

Overall, Qualcomm is betting on balance: higher energy use is offset by a clear gain in compute throughput. MediaTek, in turn, seems to prioritize gamers with maximum graphics muscle. Apple remains the efficiency benchmark, but concedes ground in multi-threaded tasks.