A fresh leak about Qualcomm’s next-gen Snapdragon 8 series SoCs paints a worrying picture for the price of upcoming Android flagships. The leak suggests Qualcomm is prepping two versions of its next flagship Snapdragon chip, a move that could force smartphone makers to choose between higher costs and scaled-back hardware.
Last year, Qualcomm introduced two flagship 3nm mobile chipsets, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. According to tipster Digital Chat Station (via Android Authority), Qualcomm may continue this strategy in 2026, and offer two chips with the model numbers SM8975 and SM8950.
Both SoCs are said to be built on TSMC’s 2nm process, but only the higher-end SM8975 will support LPDDR6 RAM, “a full-fledged GPU, and a full cache.” Due to this spec disparity, the SM8975 is reportedly “extremely expensive,” and may be limited to Ultra-tier flagships.
The leaker adds that mid-tier Android flagships are expected to rely on the SM8950 instead, with a low likelihood of some brands opting for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 as a cost-cutting measure. If accurate, this could mean that “Pro” models in next year’s Android flagship lineups may not feature Qualcomm’s top-end chipset.
Support for LPDDR6 memory on the SM8975 could further drive prices higher for Ultra-tier devices, especially considering the ongoing memory shortage. As a result, brands may be forced to choose between offering Qualcomm’s most capable SoC at a premium price, or settling for a less powerful chip to keep prices in check.
Qualcomm may rethink branding to better distinguish its top-tier chip
A previous leak also suggested Qualcomm may tweak its branding to better differentiate the two chips. Rather than reserving the Elite badge for a single model, the company could extend it to both, while adding a “Pro” suffix to the higher-end SM8975.
Under this naming scheme, the chip could be marketed as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, while the SM8950 may be called the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6. There’s currently no word on whether Qualcomm plans to introduce a non-Elite variant.
Qualcomm typically unveils its latest flagship chipsets in the latter half of the year, so it’s still too early to say how accurate these details are. As with all early leaks, plans could change before the official announcement, and pricing and positioning will ultimately depend on market conditions closer to launch.
