Qualcomm Won’t Launch Snapdragon 8 Elite 2… but Something Else Instead

You probably already know that Qualcomm will host the Snapdragon Summit in October, where the chip giant is expected to unveil the successor to the Snapdragon 8 Elite. What you might not know yet is the name it is likely to carry.

Before we get to what’s next, let’s rewind for a second. In 2024, Qualcomm rolled out the Snapdragon 8 Elite (a name meant to signal a big leap). It replaced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, so the obvious guess for the follow-up would be something like Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. Makes sense, right? (It even sounds pretty good). But that’s not the plan. Not at all.

It will likely be called Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

According to well-known tipster Digital Chat Station (DCS) on Weibo, Qualcomm is set to launch the successor under the name Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (SM8850). Yes, that means no Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2… and not even the simpler Snapdragon Elite 2. Why the jump? We don’t know yet.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is expected to power the Galaxy S26 series in select regions (if not all), though Samsung is also cooking up its own Exynos 2600. Benchmark results for that chip leaked just yesterday, and they were surprisingly solid.

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Qualcomm will reportedly announce two new chipsets at its October event. One is, of course, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (SM8850). The other is said to be a slightly toned-down variant called the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 (SM8845). Honestly, I’m starting to trust the codenames more than actual names.

Jokes aside, all eyes are on what Qualcomm will bring to the stage at the Snapdragon Summit, happening September 23–25 in Hawaii. We’ll have full coverage for you here at SammyGuru.