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We’re almost done with major flagship launches for this generation, which means we’re also inching closer to the launch of the next generation of flagship processors. Qualcomm is expected to launch the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro at the Snapdragon Summit in September, but the company could have one more surprise in tow. A new leak suggests Qualcomm may keep the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 around by launching a refreshed variant.
Leaker Digital Chat Station says through a Weibo post that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is expected to be a “long-lasting flagship chip.”
Digital Chat Station / WeiboSo far, we’ve seen three versions of the chip:
The leaker says there’s a fourth variant coming in the form of the “SM8850-1-AB.” This variant will be released sometime in the coming months, with benchmark scores close to the standard eight-core variant.
What would be different with this new variant, then? The leaker says it may have slightly lower performance but a better price point (sub-4,000 CNY, about $600), while still supporting the slew of Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 features. This would make the new variant a cost-effective option and, subsequently, it will be widely used in new phones in the coming months. This indicates the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 may remain a popular option for higher-end phones despite the release of the newer Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Gen 6 Pro.
The new variant, if it pans out, does make sense given rising component prices due to the RAM crisis. Qualcomm is expected to raise prices for its flagship SoC, with leaks suggesting the 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro costing upwards of $300, which would be a big strain on the bill of materials. The vanilla Gen 6 SoC is expected to dial back on some features, but even that isn’t expected to be “cheap” by any means. Android brands may simply end up opting for a more sanely priced “last generation” SoC, especially given that phones these days have more than enough performance for users’ needs.
Digital Chat Station’s latest leak does clash with one of their own previous leaks, though. Last month, the leaker mentioned that Qualcomm is also working on a “Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5XX” with codename “SM8850Q.” This variant isn’t mentioned in the new leak, so it’s not immediately clear what happened with it.
Either way, we’ll have to wait until September for Qualcomm to officially announce its new SoC lineup and set the path for future Android flagships. Hopefully, we get to see a wider SoC lineup spread across various price points, just so people can afford good new phones.
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