Everything We Know About the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro

Qualcomm’s lineup of Snapdragon processors has long been notorious for its chronically confusing naming conventions, where minor hardware tweaks spawn entirely new and unnecessarily complicated monikers. Judging by the latest industry leaks, the upcoming generation of chips will elevate this chaos to a whole new level. Several new processors are in the pipeline, spearheaded by a model with a rather pompous title: the “Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro.”

The “Pro” Suffix for Record-Breaking Performance

It seems Qualcomm felt the existing “Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5” wasn’t quite a mouthful already, prompting them to tack on yet another word to describe the sheer power of their new flagship Android chip.

Reputable Chinese tipster Digital Chat Station reports on the Weibo platform that this new processor, codenamed SM8975, truly earns its “Pro” badge by delivering “record-breaking peak performance.” The chip will reportedly be built on a cutting-edge 2-nanometer manufacturing process, utilizing an architecture based on a 2+3+3 Oryon core configuration. The hardware will feature highly aggressive clock speeds, a brand-new A850 graphics processing unit (GPU), 16GB of GMEM, and full support for the latest LPDDR6 and LPDDR5X memory standards.

The Rest of the Confusing Upcoming Lineup

However, this elite piece of silicon is not the only novelty in the works. The leak details three additional processors, introducing names like “Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6” and “Snapdragon 8 Gen 6.” For the average consumer, distinguishing between these models will undoubtedly be a challenge.

The standard “Elite Gen 6” version (codenamed SM8950) will rely on the same 2+3+3 core layout but will introduce certain compromises: it will pack a stepped-down GPU, feature 12GB of GMEM, and lack support for the ultra-fast LPDDR6 memory.

Additionally, the market will see a new variant of the current Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 under the internal designation “SM8850Q,” as well as a mysterious “SM8845 Pro” chip, which could ultimately launch as either the “Snapdragon 8 Gen 6” or the “Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Pro.” If Qualcomm sticks to its usual launch schedule, we can expect the first official announcements for these chips in the coming months, with the first flagship smartphones powered by the “Elite Gen 6 Pro” arriving between October and December.

Official Overview of the Upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon Processors