Snapdragon 8 Elite is Qualcomm’s current high-end chip for Android flagships. This year, we’ll see its successor in action, possibly called the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2. Besides this, there have been reports of a sub-flagship game changer in the form of Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. This could power more affordable flagship phones while offering “Elite-like” performance. A new leak now sheds more light on how Qualcomm’s flagship chip lineup will pan out this year.
Qualcomm may unveil two high-end chips this year, including Snapdragon 8 Gen 5
Prolific leaker Digital Chat Station on Weibo says the Qualcomm SM8845, which is tipped to be the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, is not an iteration of the SM8735 (namely, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4). Nor will it be a rebadge of any existing Snapdragon 8s series chip. Qualcomm is apparently positioning the new chip within the Snapdragon 8 series. The hardware will share the same TSMC N3P processor as the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2.
The SoC may support the SME (Scalable Matrix Extension) for on-device AI acceleration. It could also have Qualcomm’s in-house Oryon CPU. But then it’s not clear if it’ll be the same Oryon cores as the original Snapdragon 8 Elite or if it will use the improved ones inside the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. Digital Chat Station says many Android manufacturers have already made plans for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC.
Phones with Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 could cost up to $350
The leaker previously said that the phones with the new sub-flagship SoC will be priced between $280-$350, which falls in the mid-range segment. If this pans out for real, phones with Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 should be an incredible value for your money and could be segment-leading. This is considering the “core experience will be close to flagship models.”
Meanwhile, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 will power most flagships coming out in 2026, including the Galaxy S26 series. If leaks are anything to go by, the chip is turning out to be quite powerful. Qualcomm will unveil its latest tech on September 23rd, and we should know more then.
The post Qualcomm Tipped Again to Double Down on Flagship Chips This Year appeared first on Android Headlines.
