We have been hearing about the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro for a while now, but a new leak suggests that the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 is not going to be a slouch, either. Well-known tipster Digital Chat Station (DCS) just shared a post on Weibo saying that the standard variant (SM8950) will have reduced cache size, compared to the Pro variant, but will use the same TSMC's 2nm node.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Specifications Leaked in Full
According to DCS, the non-Pro Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 will be built on TSMC's latest 2nm process node, the same node as its Pro variant (SM8975). It is also said to use a new-generation (4th-gen?) Oryon CPU architecture in a 2+3+3 configuration, featuring two prime cores. Just recently, we reported that MediaTek's Dimensity 9600 Pro could pack two prime cores as well and may reach near-5 GHz frequency.
Apart from that, all eight cores are said to share a 16 MB L2 cache. There is a notable jump over the 12 MB per-cluster L2 cache setup of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen5 chipset. Moreover, it's the same cache figure that earlier leaks said about the Pro variant.
On the GPU side, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 is likely to get the Adreno 845 GPU with 6 slices and 12MB of GMEM (dedicated graphics memory), and paired with 6MB SLC (system-level cache). It may support LPDDR5X memory and UFS 5.0 storage. It looks like LPDDR6 memory will be reserved for the Pro variant.
DCS notes that the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 will be aimed at mid-range and high-end flagships. This goes against a previous leak, which suggested that Snapdragon Elite Gen 6 could be made for Ultra flagships.
Well, it looks like Ultra flagships will likely get the Pro treatment as it pulls ahead in specific areas. Reportedly, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro performance will only be slightly boosted over the 8 Elite Gen 5. It is likely to get the Adreno 850 GPU with 18 MB GMEM, 8MB SLC, and support for LPDDR6 RAM, delivering better performance in sustained GPU workloads. That said, the CPU cluster looks nearly the same, except for the cache size. We will also have to look for clock speeds and how Qualcomm has compartmentalised both processors.
That said, the Pro variant is going to be expensive this year since LPDDR6 + UFS 5.0 pairing alone is pushing the price significantly. So, if you are worried about the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 being a watered-down chip, don't be, as you are going to get the energy gains from the 2nm process while packing the latest Oryon CPU cores.
Qualcomm is expected to launch the upcoming Gen 6 lineup at the Snapdragon Summit in September 2026.
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