C. Scott Brown/ Android Authority
TL; DR
- The very first significant Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3 leakage recommends Qualcomm can use 2 variations of the chip, comparable to Apple.
- The leaker likewise insists that 2027’s front runner phones can be a lot more costly because of the price of the chipset.
- It likewise seems like typical front runner phones can make use of a much less qualified front runner Snapdragon cpu.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite powers a lot of great Android phones today, yet we have actually currently seen some Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 leakages. Currently, it resembles we have actually obtained our very first Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3 cpu leakage.
Digital Chat Station on Weibo records that the Qualcomm SM8950 chipset, anticipated to be the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3, could be offered in “double variations.” The leaker tentatively calls the much less qualified chip the SM8945 and likens this setup to Apple’s A and A Pro chips utilized in its apples iphone.

As a refresher course, the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus ship with the A18 cpu, while the apple iphone 16 Pro and Pro Max make use of the A18 Pro chipset. Both cpus share the very same CPU, yet the A18 Pro uses even more cache and an extra qualified GPU.
Qualcomm will supposedly make use of TSMC’s 2nm production procedure for these chips, yet there is some trouble. The informant states the price of this chip has “skyrocketed” which brand-new front runner phones launched from completion of 2026 will certainly see a rate boost.
This cost walking obviously indicates the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3 may not be utilized in typical front runner phones. Rather, the “SM8945” chip could be utilized in these versions while even more costs gadgets obtain the full-on Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3. Simply put, phones like the Galaxy S27 and Xiaomi 17 can have much less outstanding efficiency than their Plus/Pro/Ultra equivalents.
Qualcomm hasn’t disclosed the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 yet, don’t bother the Gen 3 chipset. So it’s feasible that points can alter in between currently and the late 2026 launch home window.
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