Until an official datasheet drops or a retail device surfaces, treat the Qualcomm 8797 as a ghost in the machine: a fascinating glimpse of what might be, but not yet a reality you can hold in your hand.

For the average consumer, the "Qualcomm 8797" is irrelevant—for now. You will never see a phone box labeled "Qualcomm 8797." You will see:

Unlike the standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (built on N4P, a 4nm process), the 8797 is alleged to be a . Specifically, whispers point to Samsung’s 3nm GAA (Gate-All-Around) process rather than TSMC’s N3. This would be a major departure for Qualcomm, which shifted back to TSMC for thermal efficiency after the disastrous Snapdragon 888 (Samsung 5nm).

Disclaimer: This article is based on industry analysis, historical data, and unconfirmed leaks. No official specifications for a Qualcomm 8797 SoC have been released by Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Based on leaked benchmark logs (Geekbench 5, AnTuTu) from late 2021, the SM8797 corresponds to the . It represents Qualcomm’s first major shift away from the Kryo 585 CPU cores (used in SD865/870) to the new ARMv9 architecture .

Modern chips have moved to the "SM" prefix (e.g., SM8550 for Snapdragon 8 Gen 2). The number breaks this standard mold. It is significantly higher than the current SM8xxx series (which tops out around SM8750 for the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4). This immediately suggests one of three scenarios: a mistranslated model number, an experimental engineering sample, or a chip designed for a non-mobile (automotive/IoT) segment.

| Test | SM8797 (v1 ES) | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (Retail) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | 1,180 | 1,230 | | Geekbench 5 (MT) | 3,450 | 3,820 | | AnTuTu 9 | 950k | 1,030k | | GFXBench Aztec Ruins (Vulkan, 1440p) | 42 fps | 48 fps |