Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, Dimensity 9500 Likely Won’t See a Major Price Jump

Like every year, Qualcomm and MediaTek will soon debut their flagship chipsets on schedule. The Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 and Dimensity 9500 are set to launch soon, powering the flagship devices arriving in the coming months.

Both chips will be built on TSMC’s enhanced 3nm process, known as the N3P node, which boosts performance and power efficiency compared to the previous N3E node. Despite the advanced technology, recent leaks suggest prices for these flagship processors won’t rise significantly.

Qualcomm and MediaTek keep Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, Dimensity 9500 costs in check

Initially, Qualcomm planned to move the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 to Samsung’s advanced 2nm process. However, those plans were canceled. The company will instead use TSMC’s refined 3nm N3P node, similar to MediaTek’s Dimensity 9500. The N3P node delivers better performance per watt compared to the older 3nm generation. But the cost increase from this upgrade seems minimal. This comes from reliable tipster Digital Chat Station on Weibo.

One factor that could affect the final price of 2025 flagship smartphones is the expected 5% increase in the cost of LPDDR5X RAM. Memory is a key component in overall device costs. And this price rise could lead manufacturers to increase retail prices slightly. This may be the first time that RAM pricing plays a more significant role in flagship pricing rather than the chipset itself.

If memory suppliers like Samsung and SK hynix manage to increase production, they could offset some of the price rises. Meanwhile, the industry is already preparing for next-generation LPDDR6 RAM, expected to gain momentum in the second half of 2026. This new technology may help reduce cost pressures on future devices.