Qualcomm’s September Event Might Serve Two Flavors of Snapdragon 8

The good times are approaching. Qualcomm is gearing up to host its annual Snapdragon Summit event next month. At the event, Qualcomm will finally (and officially) announce the successor to the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which powers the Galaxy S25 series as well as the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 is particularly special, because it might also power the Galaxy S26 series phones.

Qualcomm may be planning to launch Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 in September

It looks like Qualcomm might have a special chipset announcement lined up for the event. But not exactly what you’d expect. At the same event, Qualcomm might also reveal a slightly less powerful chipset, which could be referred to as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5.

Notably, Qualcomm skipped the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 naming in favor of Snapdragon 8 Elite. Dubbed SM8845, the new chip is said to offer performance close to last year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite. Though we can expect improvements in manufacturing process and power efficiency.

Interestingly, the SM8845 has also shown up in leaks under various names: Snapdragon 8s Elite, Snapdragon 8 Plus, and Snapdragon 8s Gen 5. However, the most recent reports suggest Qualcomm may settle on the name Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. One such report comes courtesy of Digital Chat Station on Weibo, who mentioned the same. This would place the chip just below the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 in Qualcomm’s lineup.

Qualcomm’s new naming approach might hint at a long-term strategy to separate its highest-end “Elite” chips from the rest of the Snapdragon 8 series. If true, we may continue to see both names used in future releases. That could be a smart move, because the Snapdragon 8 “Gen” series has built a solid reputation and it’s more than capable.

In any case, we’ll know soon. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit isn’t far off. The dates are official now, confirming that Qualcomm will host the annual event from September 23 to 25. Just a few weeks away, maybe.