Qualcomm launches Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Gen 6 Pro on 2nm — the first two-tier flagship chip strategy

Qualcomm today announced two new flagship mobile platforms at its Snapdragon Summit in Maui, Hawaii — the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro. Both chips are manufactured on TSMC's 2nm process, making them Qualcomm's first 2nm smartphone platforms and the direct successors to last year's 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

The dual-chip launch marks a deliberate shift in strategy. Rather than a single flagship, Qualcomm is now offering two tiers for the first time: a standard Gen 6 targeting mainstream flagship devices, and a more powerful Gen 6 Pro aimed at ultra-premium and performance-first handsets. The move mirrors Apple's long-standing approach of segmenting the A-series between base and Pro models.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 specifications

The standard Gen 6 (SM8950) uses an Oryon CPU in a 2+3+3 cluster configuration, paired with an Adreno 845 GPU with 12MB of graphics cache and LPDDR5X memory. Storage is UFS 5.0. The chip includes Qualcomm's Adreno Neural Fusion technology, which integrates dedicated AI cores directly into the GPU for improved graphics and efficiency.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro specifications

The Gen 6 Pro (SM8975) pushes significantly further. Its Canyon performance cores run at 5.11GHz — up from the Gen 5's peak speeds — arranged in the same 2+3+3 configuration with 4.03GHz Gelas-b mid cores and 3.74GHz Gelas efficiency cores. The GPU steps up to an Adreno 850 with 18MB of graphics cache, and memory advances to LPDDR6, a new generation standard making its commercial debut here. The Pro also introduces Heat Pass Block (HPB) thermal technology to manage the increased heat from the higher clocks. Storage remains UFS 5.0.

What phones will use them

The first smartphones equipped with these chips are expected to arrive in late 2026 through early 2027. Motorola, which unveiled its Signature 27 today at the same Summit in Maui, is among the first manufacturers to commit to the new platform. Xiaomi, OnePlus, and iQOO are expected to follow with their respective early-2027 flagships.

The Snapdragon Summit runs through September 24, with additional announcements on Agentic AI, XR, and PC platforms expected on subsequent days.