Qualcomm’s next Flagship Chipset May Get a Surprising New Name

Qualcomm's next-generation flagship chips may launch as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, according to a new leak from Weibo tipster Digital Chat Station (DCS). The names drop the "Pro" tag that we saw in earlier reports. There is now a new "Extreme" branding. This has come a month before the Snapdragon Summit 2026, where the chips will be unveiled.

A New "Extreme" Snapdragon Chip is Above the Standard Chip

DCS says the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 is codenamed SM8950 while the expensive SM8975 chip is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. Earlier leaks called the second chip as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, so the "Extreme" branding is the new label here.

Qualcomm has already confirmed that it will launch two flagship chips this year, but it has not revealed their marketing names. If the leak turns out to be true, the Extreme variant would be the most powerful mobile chipset by Qualcomm.

dcs leak about snapdragon 8 elite extreme gen 6 — Image Credit: Weibo/DCS

As explained in our Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro explainer, the gap between the two chipsets is expected in graphics performance and memory support. Earlier reports on the leaked specifications of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chips say both processors share a 2+3+3 Oryon core setup while the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 feature a 16MB L2 cache with an Adreno 845 GPU.

The Extreme model reportedly comes with a beefier Adreno 850 GPU and pack a larger 18MB GMEM memory and support faster LPDDR6 memory. Both chipsets would switch to TSMC's 2nm process, up from the 3nm node behind the current Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 flagship.

The Extreme chip is the one that will power ultra-flagship Android phones. It's expected to power the Galaxy S27 Ultra along with other top-end flagships, while the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 is likely to handle regular flagship phones.

Qualcomm Confirms Two 8 Elite Chipsets for Snapdragon Summit 2026 Event

Ajaay SrinivasanAug 19, 2026

When Will the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 Launch?

Qualcomm has confirmed the Snapdragon Summit 2026 dates for September 22 to 24 in Maui, Hawaii. The first phones running the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 may come from Chinese brands such as Xiaomi and iQOO.

For now, the names are not confirmed by Qualcomm. DCS claims the names as final for the two 2nm chips, but the company itself is unlikely to say anything before the event.