Qualcomm Already Prepping Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 for 2026 Launch

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 may have only just been unveiled, but the company is already preparing for 2026. We have our first leak on the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 6 chipsets, expected to launch next year.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 could be based on TSMC's 2nm process

New information from tipster Digital Chat Station on Weibo suggests that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and 8 Gen 6 will bear the identifiers SM8975 and SM8950, respectively. In comparison, the current chipsets are represented by numbers SM8850 and SM8845.

More importantly, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 is expected to be manufactured on TSMC's 2nm process and could offer substantial gains in performance and efficiency. We already know that Qualcomm could be one of the major clients for TSMC next year, with Apple claiming more than half of TSMC's yield for its A20 processor.

While details on both the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and 8 Gen 6 are scarce, the recently launched Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and 8 Gen 5 give us a glimpse of what to expect. For starters, with Qualcomm calling it Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, we're certain its successor will be called the 8 Elite Gen 6.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is the first to debut with third-generation Oryon cores, and we expect the same cores to power the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6.

What should be interesting, though, is if Qualcomm bases its less expensive Snapdragon 8 Gen 6 off the current Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. This is because the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is basically a rebranded Snapdragon 8 Elite.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 has already made its debut in Xiaomi 17 series, with phones like OnePlus 15, Realme GT 8 Pro and iQOO 15 soon landing with the same processor. Stay tuned as we will cover all the potential improvements that could make their way to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and 8 Gen 6.