As smartphone brands prepare their 2026 flagships amid the ongoing RAM crisis, Qualcomm appears to be diversifying its chipset lineup in 2026. We've already heard plenty about Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro chipsets. But a fresh leak now sheds some light on two other processors that could launch this year to cater to different price segments.
Qualcomm Could Launch Four Snapdragon Chipsets in 2026
According to Digital Chat Station, Qualcomm is working on four different processors, including the next generation of 2 nm processors and a handful of 3 nm processors.
We know from previous leaks that the 2nm processors in question here are the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chipsets, codenamed SM8975 and SM8950, respectively.
Additionally, both processors are said to arrive with a 2+3+3 core architecture with 4th Gen Oryon cores and 16 MB L2 cache. However, the Gen 6 Pro may separate itself with an 18 MB GMEM and LPDDR6 support. Meanwhile, the Gen 6 will take it easier with 12 MB GMEM and LPDDR5X support to balance out costs.
Previous leaks also suggested that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro will use HPB cooling tech to run cooler, just like the Exynos 2600 chipset. This could help it sustain clock speeds of up to 6 GHz without throttling.
Alongside the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 series, the latest leak also lists a new 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5XX chipset with the model number SM8850Q. This chipset seems like either a toned-down or a more powerful variant of the current top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset (SM8850).
Apart from this, the leak also mentions a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Pro/ Gen 6 with the SM8845 Pro model number. From the sound of it, this could be an overclocked variant of the existing Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset.
Interestingly, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is also namedropped in the latest leak and it's possible that the 3nm processor could be widely reused in 2026 to save costs due to the ongoing RAM crisis.
This news also accompanies the recent information that suggests that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 may arrive in six variants. All in all, Qualcomm seems to be diversifying its portfolio further to make it easier for manufacturers to use the right processor.
Keeping both 2nm and 3nm processors around also helps everyone involved counter the RAM crisis and price their products correctly to appeal to a wider range of buyers.
Like every year, Qualcomm should launch its next-generation processors sometime in November 2026. Therefore, we should hear more information about them in the coming months, so stay tuned.
.jpg-1120w630h.webp "Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Could Arrive in Six Variants to Keep Prices in Check thumbnail")
