Key Takeaways
1. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 has launched but will not appear in many flagship devices until early next year, with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra expected to feature it.
2. Rumors about the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 suggest it will utilize 2 nm-class technology, marking a shift for Qualcomm in chipset production.
3. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is based on 3 nm technology, following the 4 nm processes used in earlier Snapdragon models.
4. TSMC’s N2P nodes, expected to be used in the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, promise an 18% performance boost and a 36% reduction in power draw compared to the previous N3E node.
5. Concerns arise about the official launch timeline for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, as the necessary N2P nodes may not be ready until July 2026.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 has recently launched, being only a month old. It likely won’t be seen in many flagship devices until early next year, with the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (currently priced at $949 on Amazon) being one of those expected to feature it. However, there are already rumors on Weibo about its successor. It’s worth mentioning that Qualcomm has yet to release the more affordable Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, which is anticipated to power a future OnePlus smartphone with a large battery of around 8,000 mAh.
Future Developments
Digital Chat Station has reported that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 will represent Qualcomm’s shift to 2 nm-class technology. For reference, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is the second chipset based on 3 nm that Qualcomm has provided to Android manufacturers, following the use of 4 nm processes in its earlier Snapdragon X series and several recent Snapdragon 8 models. Specifically, the report indicates Qualcomm plans to utilize TSMC’s N2P nodes for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, which are scheduled to enter mass production in the latter half of 2026.
Performance Expectations
If this is true, it means Qualcomm will bypass TSMC’s N2 node for the next Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. According to TSMC’s projections, the N2P nodes promise an 18% boost in performance over the N3E versions without raising power usage. In fact, these N2P nodes are expected to cut power draw by about 36% compared to the N3E node used in the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 is rumored to pair N2P nodes with LPDDR6 RAM and UFS 5.0 flash storage. However, since the N2P nodes are not expected to be ready until July, it raises concerns about whether the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 will be prepared for an official launch in September 2026.
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