Qualcomm unveiled two flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processors for Android smartphones

At Snapdragon Summit 2025, Qualcomm surprised everyone by announcing two flagship mobile chips for Android smartphones in 2026. In addition to the anticipated Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the company unveiled another processor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, which will occupy a second-tier position in the premium segment.

Thus, the manufacturer is essentially following Apple’s model, which, starting in 2023, will separate iPhones into standard and Pro versions with different chips (for example, the iPhone 17 runs on the A19, while the iPhone 17 Pro will use the A19 Pro). Now, Qualcomm’s top-end flagships will also receive the Elite chip, while more affordable models will receive the “standard” Snapdragon 8 Gen 5.

There are no official specifications yet, but it is already known that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is built on a 3nm process and uses Oryon cores. The first smartphone to feature it will be a OnePlus device, while the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 will be found in ultra-premium models, including the Samsung Galaxy S26.

Furthermore, Qualcomm also unveiled new chips for Windows on Arm laptops—the Snapdragon X2 Elite and Elite Extreme—strengthening its presence in the PC market.

New chips for Windows on Arm laptops

The Snapdragon X2 Elite and Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme are manufactured using a 3nm process and are based on third-generation Oryon cores. The top-end X2 Elite Extreme features up to 18 cores, 12 of which operate at up to 4.4 GHz, while two can accelerate to 5 GHz—a first for ARM processors in laptops. Qualcomm promises up to 31% faster CPU performance compared to the previous X Elite at the same power, or 43% lower power consumption.

The graphics subsystem, with a new 1.85 GHz GPU, delivers up to 2.3x better efficiency per watt, and 18 MB of Adreno High Performance Memory cache has been added for gaming. For AI tasks, the Hexagon NPU offers 80 TOPS of performance—37% faster and 16% more power efficient than the previous generation. Qualcomm calls it the most powerful NPU for laptops.