A HUGE tech upgrade that allows phones to “think with you in real time” is coming from some of the world’s biggest mobile makers.

The latest kit claims to not only enable highly intelligent AI tools, but also lightning-fast multitasking and better battery.

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Snapdragon, the tech brand millions will be familiar with as the front-of-shirt sponsor for Manchester United, has just announced some mega improvements.

The chips – made by US firm Qualcomm – are already among the most powerful around, used in phones by Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi and more.

These are essential for the smooth running of devices and power consumption among other things.

Every year, Qualcomm announces start-of-the-art chip enhancements at a huge Snapdragon Summit event in Hawaii.

We were invited along to see what’s in store and for 2025 bosses revealed the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

Qualcomm says it is the fastest mobile system on-a-chip.

It means users can expect “lightning-fast” multitasking and seamless app switching so you can have loads open at once without causing major sluggish performance.

The upgrade is also good news for gamers, with “incredible performance and power efficiency”.

And in a mobile landscape increasingly filled with AI apps and tools, the new chip can better understand and learn from your habits to provide more useful personalised recommendations – and better still, it’s all handled on the device, so no data is sent off.

Qualcomm claims the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 boosts performance by 20 per cent compared to its last Snapdragon 8 Elite chip.

“With Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, you are at the center of your mobile experience,” said Chris Patrick, senior vice president and general manager of mobile handset, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

“It enables personalized AI agents to see what you see, hear what you hear and think with you in real time.

“Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 pushes the boundaries of personal AI, allowing you to experience the future of mobile technology today.”

The new chip is expected to appear on flagship smartphones from a number of huge names, including:

• Honor
• iQOO
• Nubia
• OnePlus
• OPPO
• POCO
• Realme
• REDMI
• RedMagic
• ROG
• Samsung
• Sony
• Vivo
• Xiaomi
• ZTE

Qualcomm teased that new devices will be launched with the chip in the coming days.

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