What you need to know

• Snapdragon Reality Elite delivers up to 60% faster graphics and 160% stronger AI performance.
• The new XR platform supports on-device AI models and up to 4.4K resolution per eye at 90fps.
• XREAL Project Aura and future Play For Dream devices will be among the first to use the chip.

Qualcomm has announced Snapdragon Reality Elite, a new XR platform designed to power the next generation of smart glasses and XR headsets.

At AWE 2026, we're expecting to see a new wave of smart glasses and XR hardware, and it seems to facilitate those products, Qualcomm has unveiled the successor to the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2. For context, current generation of devices like the Samsung Galaxy XR headset are powered by the XR2+ Gen2.

The new Snapdragon Reality Elite joins the company's broader Elite branding and is designed specifically for XR devices, with a major focus on delivering significantly more on-device AI performance.

There are improvements across the board. Compared to the XR2+ Gen 2, Snapdragon Reality Elite delivers up to 60% higher GPU performance, up to 30% faster CPU performance, and up to 160% higher NPU performance. Qualcomm also claims devices powered by the platform can deliver up to 20% longer battery life while running up to 12°C cooler under sustained workloads.

As with almost every major silicon announcement this year, AI is front and center. Snapdragon Reality Elite delivers up to 48 TOPS of AI performance and is capable of running large language models and large vision models directly on-device. For reference, that's in the same ballpark as the AI performance found in many flagship smartphones today.

This AI horsepower is expected to power experiences like photorealistic avatars, AI agents, live translation, spatial computing, and other advanced XR features.

On the graphics side, the platform supports displays up to 4.4K resolution per eye at 90fps. Qualcomm says improvements to video passthrough technology reduce latency while improving image quality, helping digital objects blend more naturally into the real world.

The first devices expected to use the Snapdragon Reality Elite platform include the Xreal Project Aura and the next generation of hardware from Play For Dream.

Alongside Reality Elite, Qualcomm also introduced Snapdragon START, a new development initiative aimed at helping companies build AI-powered wearables and smart glasses faster through pre-packaged hardware, software, and reference designs.

Android Central's Take

I'm excited to see what this chipset enables for Android XR glasses. We already saw some impressive agentic AI demos at Google I/O, and Reality Elite feels like the hardware foundation needed to actually make those experiences practical.

What you need to know

• Qualcomm has confirmed that it is working with Google to build some Googlebook laptops.
• Google is also partnering with Intel, Qualcomm, and MediaTek, giving manufacturers more flexibility across future Googlebook devices.
• Googlebooks are expected to support more powerful Android apps and premium hardware from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo.

Google’s new Googlebook platform is already shaping up to be something much more than a Chromebook replacement, and Qualcomm just confirmed one of the most important pieces of the puzzle.

Qualcomm is bringing its Arm-based PC silicon to Google’s next-generation laptop platform after years of Snapdragon X chips being almost entirely tethered to Windows laptops, Qualcomm CMO Don McGuire confirmed in a now-deleted X post. However, the folks at XDA were quick to take a screengrab.

This means future Googlebook devices will not be limited to Intel processors. Qualcomm also confirmed on its own social media channels that it is collaborating with Google to build some Googlebook models, though it didn't specifically mention Snapdragon X chips.

Additionally, John Maletis, VP of Product Management for ChromeOS, revealed partnerships with Intel, Qualcomm, and MediaTek in an interview with ChromeUnboxed.

Deep Android integration

This signals a big change in Google’s laptop strategy. For more than a decade, Chromebooks largely lived in the budget and education space. On the other hand, Googlebooks seems to be targeting premium laptops with deep AI integration, tighter Android connectivity, and desktop-class performance.

The new platform was announced by Google at The Android Show, where it was described as a move beyond traditional operating systems to a “intelligence system.” In simple terms, Google wants AI to be at the heart of the entire laptop experience, not an optional assistant sitting off to the side.

One of the headline features is something called Magic Pointer, which allows users to invoke Gemini-powered contextual actions by moving the cursor in certain ways. Google also showed off AI-generated widgets, real-time image editing tools, and deeper Android integration that lets users access phone apps and files directly from the laptop.

While older Chromebooks were very dependent on web apps and light workloads, Googlebooks are expected to support more advanced Android applications and premium hardware designs from companies like Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo. Pricing could be substantially higher than typical Chromebooks, with early reports suggesting a starting price of around $1,000.

Android Central's Take

Qualcomm jumping into Googlebook is the smartest thing Google could have done here. Snapdragon X chips have already proven their ability to deliver great battery life, cooler thermals, and solid AI performance on Windows laptops. So, it makes a lot more sense to bring that efficiency to Google’s AI-heavy vision instead of solely relying on Intel hardware.

What you need to know

• Qualcomm unveiled two new chips: the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 and the Snapdragon 4 Gen 5.
• Both chips feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon Smooth Motion UI, which was introduced as a feature to help smooth navigation and app opening (for the SD 6 Gen 5).
• The Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 is also the first of its series to feature 90fps for mobile gaming.

The next iteration of Qualcomm chips for affordable devices is here, and they bring all-around performance upgrades for phones.

Even though it's late at night here in the States, Qualcomm isn't letting that hold back the reveal of the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 and 4 Gen 5 chips. In a press release, the company states that both chips stand on the foundation of creating "next-gen capabilities designed for real-world experiences." There's a strong focus this year on the features users typically use on their phones, and that begins with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5.

This chip is the more robust of the two, delivering upgrades for users who want a little more out of their phone. Qualcomm says the SD 6 Gen 5 features support for AI-based Night Vision in cameras, 100x zoom support, and 32MP capture. When it comes to gaming, Qualcomm said it introduced its Adaptive Performance Engine 4.0 to facilitate "smooth, long-lasting play." With that in mind, its Adreno GPU performance has reportedly shot up by 21%, but that doesn't just help your gaming experience; it aids your overall graphical experience across all apps.

Snapdragon Game Resolution and Qualcomm's FPS 3.0 also find their way onto the chip. Surging ahead are the company's Kryo CPU cores for the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5. Another key ingredient to Qualcomm's early May launch is Snapdragon Smooth Motion UI.

The company says this new technology aims to make navigating your phone flow freely. The Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 launches apps 20% faster with "18% less screen stutter." Soon, consumers will find this chip in phones from "global OEMs, including Honor and Redmi.

Just one more chip

Qualcomm won't let you forget about its second chip: the Snapdragon 4 Gen 5. For this piece of hardware, the company is targeting dependability with its 77% increase in Adreno GPU performance for 90fps in games. Qualcomm highlights this, stating this is the first time a 4-series chip has achieved such an FPS feat. Consumers will find its Kryo CPU cores advancing its performance capabilities, alongside several camera features.

The SD 4 Gen 5 supports auto focus, white balance, and exposure, as well as face detection and EIS (electronic image stabilization). Much like the more robust Snapdragon 6 Gen 5, the 4 Gen 5 supports Qualcomm's Snapdragon Smooth Motion UI introduction.

The market is preparing to receive this chip, too. Soon, you can find it powering the next phones from OPPO, Realme, and Redmi.

Android Central's Take

These chips? Not bad. And, yeah, I know they way I say it sounds like I'm talking about potato chips. My humor aside, I am particular intrigued by Qualcomm's efforts to improve the gaming potential of these chips. They're not flagships by any means, but they will help that middle sector out. It'd be nice if we could get to a point where other phones aren't staring at a monumental gap between gaming on a flagship and gaming on something cheaper. I know that gap won't be zero, but if there's a chance to close it just a bit, I'll take it.

What you need to know

• Qualcomm announced its FY Q2 2026 financial earnings on April 29.
• The company posted revenue of $10.6 billion, down 3% from a FY Q2 2025.
• This comes just days after reports of Qualcomm partnering with OpenAI on smartphone processors.

Qualcomm posted its most recent financial earnings on Wednesday, April 29, reporting $10.6 billion in revenue for fiscal year Q2 2026. This represents a 3% decrease in revenue when compared to fiscal year Q2 2025, when the company posted $10.98 billion in revenue. This aligns with expectations but suggests that Qualcomm is beginning to feel the effects of the RAM shortage that has plagued the industry in recent months.

"We are pleased to deliver results in line with our guidance, reflecting solid execution as we navigate a challenging memory environment," says Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon in a statement, noting how we're "in a period of profound industry transformation" due to the rise of AI agents.

Amon also touches on Qualcomm's new venture into AI chips for data centers, which are expected to arrive later this year and in 2027, although more details will be provided during Qualcomm's Investor Day in June.

During the quarter, several flagship smartphones hit the market, including the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, for which Qualcomm holds more than a 70% market share with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. However, despite seeing some impressive smartphones, Qualcomm's QCT division saw a 13% year-over-year revenue decline, while Automotive and IoT increased by 38% and 9%, respectively.

Further underscoring the pressure that memory shortages are having on the industry is Qualcomm's FY Q3 guidance, which falls in the range of $9.2B - $10.0B; lower than analyst expectations.

This is the result of lower channel inventory from OEMs, particularly in China, something Qualcomm anticipated as noted by Qualcomm CFO Akash Palkhiwala.

"These dynamics played out as expected in the second fiscal quarter and are also reflected in our third quarter guidance. As a result, in both quarters, our China QCT Android shipments are meaningfully below the scale of end-consumer handset demand."

However, he notes that there is a bit of light on the horizon, as revenue should return to growth in Q4 after bottoming out in Q3.

But as for predictions about whether the memory shortage could end next year, Amon says it's "a little early to talk about '27," noting that several factors are at play and working to address the shortage, such as new memory players building capacity.

"So we're going to have to monitor the situation in and see what happens in '27."

Android Central's take

It's interesting that the very thing companies are counting on to help drive more smartphone sales is the same thing that is causing prices of those same smartphones to increase. We've already seen it with the Galaxy S26 series, and now even Motorola has raised prices across its lineup, with the Razr 2026 series seeing some of the most dramatic price increased. Motorola has even opted to use the same chipset as last year's model in the Razr Ultra 2026, and while it didn't specifically say that memory prices were a factor, it's clear that it played a role in the decision.

Amon says 2027 is too early to predict if the memory shortage will end, but I'm not sure consumers can endure this for much longer, especially with global politics already affecting many goods.

What you need to know

• An overseas tipster alleges what consumers might expect from Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, as their report says a 2+3+3 CPU structure is possible.
• More than that, the Adreno 850 GPU was alleged; however, the "base" SD 8 Elite Gen 6 could see a slightly lower Adreno 845 GPU.
• Rumors about a potential Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro started in January, claiming the chip could only seek out Ultra phones.

With one flagship chip in our hands, we're always looking ahead to the next, and that's exactly where this Qualcomm rumor takes us.

Similar to a recent Qualcomm report, Chinese tipster Digital Chat Station (DCS) posted a few alleged specs for the next Snapdragon 8 Elite series (via GSMArena). The tipster leads off the rumors by claiming a chip marked as SM8975, which is likely the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, could feature a 2+3+3 CPU arrangement. The specifics of these cores weren't explicitly stated; however, DCS adds that TSMC's 2nm process is its foundation.

What's more, other details suggest the 8 Elite 6 Pro could feature the Adreno 850 GPU with support for LPDDR5X RAM. It's still pretty early, especially for rumors like this. Qualcomm doesn't launch its next flagship SoC until the fall, so we might be a way out before we can think about speeds and strength upgrades.

DCS dives into the "base" Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, which may also be built off TSMC's 2nm process with a 2+3+3 architecture. Unlike the Pro variant, the base SoC is expected to see the Adreno 845 SoC, but LPDDR5X RAM is expected.

The Elite's hitting the Pro scene

GSMArena reports that the tipster added a bit more to this rumor, claiming that Qualcomm was working on a non-Elite chip variant. As such, it would be classified as the "Snapdragon 8 Gen 6." The company did something similar last year with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. This was a chip that sought out the mid-range, affordable line of phones; however, Qualcomm tried to plug as much "flagship-level" power into it as it could.

It seems like a safe bet to expect the company to continue that, but you never know. Regarding the 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, rumors about this bubbled up in January. Supposedly, this chip will only arrive on Ultra model phones. Envision the Galaxy S27 Ultra and the like. TSMC's 2nm was rumored previously, as well as a stronger N2P for "performance and power" gains. Still, like this rumor, the exact numbers aren't clear. Qualcomm's benchmarks for the Snapdragon 8 Elite 5 highlighted its dominance.

At the very least, we'd expect the numbers for the next SoC to surpass this.

After a long 5G rollout, we're finally at the point where flagship phones and networks no longer need to advertise the current cellular technology as a feature — it's the standard. To that end, we're seeing 5G coverage improve nationwide, and new form factors like smartwatches are starting to support the network, too. You may have just gotten used to using 5G instead of 4G LTE, but I'm here to tell you that 6G is much closer than you think.

At MWC 2026, industry leaders like Qualcomm and Nvidia shared their visions for the upcoming 6G mobile network, with a boatload of corporate partners in tow. For the average user, the buildout of 6G infrastructure and companies working together isn't exciting. You want to know what you'll actually be able to do with 6G. We now have that answer, and it's pretty exciting. Here are three new types of experiences the 6G mobile network will provide, and what they'll mean for you.

6G will power low-latency connected AI experiences

Everything goes back to artificial intelligence these days, and 6G is no exception. However, there are signs that the AI-connected world we're building will demand more from our mobile networks, and that's where 6G comes in. Specifically, global wide area network (WAN) traffic is expected to jump by between three and seven times by 2034, compared to 2023 traffic data. AI is also going to account for roughly 30% of all network traffic, according to current projections.

The AI takeover will demand faster, lower-latency connections — hence the need to deploy 6G — but it's about more than just raw traffic spikes. Industry leaders see a future where AI agents become the centerpiece of mobile ecosystems. Right now, your phone is the heart of your technology portfolio, and it connects with earbuds, smartwatches, tablets, laptops, and more. In the future, AI agents might be orchestrating these hardware categories, connecting them all with streamlined software.

That sounds pretty clever, but if AI agents are working across multiple wireless devices at once, they need fast connections. That's why 6G is being built to address these traffic and speed needs. We're expecting 6G to offer a five times greater traffic capacity than 5G, and 50% higher spectral efficiency for uplink and downlink connectivity.

In simple terms, this means your AI devices will be able to connect with each other and cloud servers faster than ever before. 6G will deliver connected experiences that aren't currently possible due to latency limitations.

6G will make XR and spatial computing mainstream

Speaking of connected experiences, 6G will go a long way in making mixed-reality XR experiences mainstream. Currently, devices like Meta Ray-Ban Display or Samsung Galaxy XR are bottlenecked by how much data can be transferred to deliver high-quality video, AI processing, and gaming performance. Then it arrives, 6G will improve these experiences by providing higher uplink speeds capable of supporting multiple 4K or 8K video streams.

Since most XR glasses and headsets rely heavily on streaming, tethering, or cloud processing to provide features, a high-speed and low-latency mobile network like 6G could make use cases like game streaming or remote desktop control actually usable. It's all about cutting down the time you have to wait for your devices to talk with your phone and the cloud to return a response. So, when you look at something and ask a question while wearing camera-equipped smart glasses, the response will feel nearly instant when 6G arrives.

6G will elevate public infrastructure in the next decade

6G will also enable a sensory network that can use RF signals and drones to map out environments, powering new kinds of infrastructure, like self-driving car networks. As self-driving car systems like Waymo become mainstream, you'll need a fast, low-latency network to connect cars to control centers. You'll also need to be able to process data from sensors like cameras, radar, or LiDAR, in a near instant, and 6G will make that possible.

Robotics is another emerging technology that's not too far away, with companies like Tesla going all-in on humanoid robots that could be controlled remotely. Just like with self-driving cars, robots need a fast and efficient network to work properly. 6G's biggest feature might be its capacity upgrade, as new uses for mobile networks like AI, self-driving cars, and robotics will increase congestion. 5G isn't fast enough, nor does it have enough capacity for the expected traffic spikes.

6G aims to solve both of those problems, and you can expect to see advances in autonomous vehicles, robotics, AI, and spatial computing coincide with the upgraded mobile network when it's ready for a commercial release.

When can we expect consumer-ready 6G?

Right now, 6G is currently in development and in the research and study phase. That will continue into 2027 and 2028, when pre-commercial devices will be tested. Then, the commercialization of 6G will happen the following year. That means you'll be able to start using 6G at the end of this decade, with the mobile network likely going mainstream in the 2030s. It sounds far away, but it'll come sooner than you think, bringing new AI and XR experiences with it.

Qualcomm already brought Elite chips to smartphones, tablets, and laptops, and now they're coming for your smartwatches. The company announced the new Snapdragon Wear Elite platform at MWC 2026, and it joins a wearable chip lineup that includes Snapdragon Sound, Snapdragon Wear, and Snapdragon AR. But what actually makes a smartwatch chipset "elite," and do you really need "elite" performance from your next smartwatch?

I sat down with Ziad Asghar, the senior vice president of XR and spatial computing at Qualcomm, in a roundtable media session to find out. The answer is twofold. Even if you don't use a bit of on-device AI, you'll still benefit from Snapdragon Wear Elite's improved performance and longer battery life. However, Qualcomm is betting that you will end up using new AI-powered features that weren't previously possible on smartwatches.

It's the first smartwatch chip with Qualcomm's Hexagon NPU, and there's also an eNPU system for low-power processing. That means your wearable doesn't have to rely on tether processing via your phone or cloud processing through a server. It enables new use cases that prioritize latency and responsiveness, and Asghar walked us through a few of them.

Qualcomm provided travel, food, and lodging for my trip to MWC 2026, but had no input on my coverage and didn't see this article before publishing.

AI can use face and object detection to control your devices in real time

The reference device for the Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset is a smartwatch with a camera, and it's certainly a striking wearable. Of course, this is a proof-of-concept design that will never release, but there's a reason a camera is onboard. It's partly because Asghar says Qualcomm received feedback that some consumers want a camera on their smartwatch, such as to communicate with a child who may not have a phone. More importantly, it's attributed to Wear Elite being used for personal AI wearables beyond smartwatches — like pendants, glasses, or pins — that need a camera for multimodal interaction.

A camera works with the AI models running locally on Snapdragon Wear Elite to power new features, like face and object detection. Asghar described a Wear Elite device using a local AI model to detect a face and moving a microphone beam towards that face to better pick up and isolate speech.

"I can, even in a very noisy environment, actually take in the sound and bring it from that source rather than from the 10 other sources that are creating ambient noise in the environment around it," Asghar explained.

It's also about picking and choosing which tasks to split between on-wearable processing, tethered smartphone processing, and cloud processing. A wearable could convert speech to text on-device and send only the text to a connected smartphone for processing. Then, once the processing is finished, the phone could send just the text to a wearable and let it handle text-to-speech conversion. "That's how you're able to get a very smooth, sort of operation," Asghar said.

You'll have more wearable form factors to pick from — or use them together

Snapdragon Wear Elite isn't strictly a smartwatch chip — it's designed for a multitude of wearable form factors. You could see pins, pendants, wristbands, and smartwatches powered by this chipset. Qualcomm sees AI becoming the center of your device ecosystem, with a bunch of different form factors working together to provide day-to-day experiences. It could expand the market, so if you don't want to wear a smartwatch or glasses, you don't have to.

That said, Asghar sees the exciting part as how these wearable form factors can work together to power features that wouldn't work individually.

"I really think in the long run it might that actually you have more than one on each person," Asghar said. "And depending on the use [case], they use the one or the other or both."

For example, Asghar explained how a combination of smart glasses and a smartwatch as an alternative to smart display glasses. You could snap a picture on your smart glasses and immediately see the preview on your smartwatch. Or, if you don't like those form factors, you could wear earbuds or a pendant with a camera. They all will work together, but also apart.

"I think this is going to be a really powerful part as to how you can combine the context across these devices, be able to aggregate that context, and I think that's where a lot of the innovation is going to come," Asghar explained. "So I do believe it's going to be more than one of these devices in each person."

Launching apps is faster, and you can run AI models on-device

If you don't think you need AI on your smartwatch, there will be performance gains for non-AI use cases, too. The new architecture uses a five-core CPU with one 2.1GHz core and four cores at 1.95GHz, and it improves performance by up to 5x, with 7x faster graphics. This results in everything from launching apps to completing actions feeling snappier, according to Asghar.

This is the first smartwatch chip with a dedicated NPU, and this one can handle AI models up to two billion parameters. In the real world, this means that your smartwatch can process automatic speech recognition on-device, detect objects and faces, or generate text. There will surely be large language models (LLMs) that run on Wear Elite processors, but there will also be task-specific models aimed to deliver specific features.

In one demo video, a Snapdragon Wear Elite watch used on-device AI to generate a response to text messages using crucial context. It could adjust the tone and content of a suggested message based on who is texting and the previous conversation, so a text to your boss doesn't sound like a text to your wife.

The on-device processing features could work using existing personalization tools like Gemini Personal Intelligence, or tap into awareness of what else your watch is doing. If you're currently navigating to a destination in Maps, the smart replies feature could use that context to craft a suggested text message on your watch. These processes are handled by tiny, low-power eNPUs in the Wear Elite's sensing hub or the dedicated Hexagon NPU.

You'll get longer battery life thanks to new architectures

The eNPUs help other parts of the chip stay powered down, even when AI processing is required, which helps preserve battery life. The chipset offers up to 30% better battery life, so your smartwatch can either last longer or you can use it for more demanding features. The "sensing hub" in the Wear Elite platform is a big part of the efficiency gains, which are big enough for the average user to notice.

"You should think of the sensing hub as almost like a chip within a chip. And it's one that we can run separately from the rest of the chip, which means the power consumption is very low. So, now you don't have to wake up the full big part of the chip — all the different engines inside — and then run the NPU," Asghar explained. "So, you will see huge power savings, especially because the agent gets invoked a lot in a smart glasses or personal AI device scenario."

The switch to a 3nm process node also results in better battery life and efficiency. This is an upgrade over the Snapdragon W5 Plus Gen 2, which was a 4nm chip, and matches Samsung's Exynos W1000 chip. The new architecture and custom IPs also help with efficiency, working behind the scenes to improve battery life.

When is Snapdragon Wear Elite actually launching for consumers?

Asghar says we can expect to see Snapdragon Wear Elite wearables — and their on-device AI features — sometime in the second half of this year. Samsung already announced that the next Galaxy Watch will be powered by Wear Elite, and Qualcomm is also working with Google and Motorola.

What you need to know

• Qualcomm's new 5G modem is here, and it could power cellular in the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 6 chipset.
• The Qualcomm X105 5G Modem-RF offers 5G over satellite support, NB-IoT fallback for messaging, and faster downlink and uplink speeds.
• The chip uses agentic AI to improve performance and there will be APIs for developers that can tap into "predictive intelligence."

Qualcomm provided travel, food, and lodging for my trip to MWC 2026, but had no input on my coverage and didn't see this article before publishing.

Qualcomm is announcing a new flagship modem at MWC 2026, the Qualcomm X105 5G Modem-RF, and the brand thinks it's good enough to warrant skipping a generation. The Qualcomm X105 succeeds the X85 modem, and the new version is built for the "agentic AI era," according to the company. Notably, the new modem supports 5G over satellite with added NR-NTN connectivity, and a clever cellular fallback that can improve connectivity in challenging environments.

It's the first modem compatible with 5G Advanced Release 19, which upgrades connectivity for the AI era and serves as a step on the path to 6G. The new New Radio Non-Terrestrial Network (NR-NTN) support allows for fast 5G connections over satellite when traditional cell service may be unavailable. The expanded support for 5G data in addition to voice and messaging support makes using satellite an even more viable alternative for end users.

In addition to NR-NTN support, the Qualcomm X105 modem adds support for Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), an emerging cellular network technology that works on existing LTE infrastructure. It's a fallback for when you phone may not be able to connect to traditional networks, such as if there are physical obstructions, like when you are in an elevator or parking garages. As the NB-IoT technology is a low-power and efficient option, this feature is intended for messaging and basic communication rather than data or voice support.

The Qualcomm X105 modem uses agentic AI to improve cellular performance, and there will be APIs for third-party developers to use to provide better experiences with "predictive intelligence," according to the company. Speeds are improved compared to the Qualcomm X85, as the upgraded modem can hit downlink speeds of 14.8Gbps and uplink speeds of 4.2Gbps.

Although we don't know exactly when the Qualcomm X105 will appear in consumer products, its predecessor — the Qualcomm X85 — powered cellular connectivity in the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. It's possible that the new Qualcomm X105 modem could appear in the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, which might power phones like the OnePlus 16 or the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra.

Android Central's Take

Modems might not be the most exciting smartphone component out there, but they're ones we rely on everyday. After hearing about the Qualcomm X105 modem announcement, I'm most excited for NB-IoT fallback. I just spent over a year living in an apartment next to a parking garage with zero cell service. If the Wi-Fi network went out, I could forget about communicating with friends and family or getting any work done. It sounds like a phone with the Qualcomm X105 would've solved my problems.

This modem is filling the gaps in coverage with 5G over satellite and NB-IoT, so whether you're off-grid or in an elevator, you can still connect with others. That should be something to look forward to on future flagships that include the Qualcomm X105 modem.

What you need to know

• Qualcomm unveiled Snapdragon Wear Elite to bring flagship-level AI and performance to wearables.
• The new chipset supports on-device AI with a Hexagon NPU handling up to 2B parameters.
• Snapdragon Wear Elite promises 5x CPU gains, 7x graphics boost, and up to 30% better battery life.

MWC 2026 has just kicked off, and Qualcomm is wasting no time doing what it does best: launching new chipsets. The company has officially unveiled the Snapdragon Wear Elite SoC, and it could be the upgrade that wearables have been waiting for.

Whether it is the best Android smartwatches or the smart glasses that almost every brand is getting on with, almost every wearable relies on Qualcomm's Snapdragon silicon.

While chipsets like the Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 used in the Pixel Watch 4 have performed well, wearable processors have fallen slightly behind their smartphone counterparts. Recent Snapdragon mobile SoCs have heavily focused on on-device AI, and Qualcomm now wants to bring that same leap to wearables with the Snapdragon Wear Elite.

Carrying the same Elite branding as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the Snapdragon Wear Elite is built to deliver better performance, improved battery life, enhanced connectivity, and on-device AI for smartwatches and "other emerging AI devices."

The Snapdragon Wear Elite features a Hexagon NPU platform designed for on-device AI tasks with support for up to 2B parameters. Qualcomm says this enables context-aware recommendations, natural voice interactions, and more.

For low-power AI tasks, the chipset includes an eNPU low-power island that supports always-on and active use cases. Low-power mode can handle activities like keyword detection and activity recognition, while active mode supports voice call echo cancellation and noise suppression.

AI is not the only area seeing improvements, though. Qualcomm says the new five-core CPU, featuring one core clocked at 2.1GHz and four cores at 1.95GHz, delivers up to 5x improved performance and 7x faster graphics. At the same time, the company claims up to 30% longer battery life, along with faster charging capabilities.

Connectivity also gets a major upgrade. Qualcomm says the Snapdragon Wear Elite integrates six advanced technologies, including 5G RedCap for low-power cellular connectivity, Bluetooth 6.0, micro-power Wi-Fi, UWB, GNSS for precise location tracking, and NB-NTN support for satellite-based two-way messaging when cellular and Wi-Fi networks are unavailable.

No devices powered by the Snapdragon Wear Elite are available yet, but Qualcomm says the first wave of products should arrive in the coming months. The company has already partnered with Google, Motorola, and Samsung for upcoming devices powered by this new chipset.

Android Central's take

From what I've seen, it looks like a major upgrade across the board. I'm especially intrigued by Qualcomm's description of it as designed for "emerging AI devices." That makes me wonder which other categories, beyond smartwatches, the company plans to target.

There have already been rumors about OpenAI working on an audio-based AI device, and something like that could fit perfectly with a chipset like the Snapdragon Wear Elite. Maybe we get to know sooner than later now.

What you need to know

• At MWC 2026, Qualcomm unveiled a full AI-ready connectivity lineup led by FastConnect 8800 and new Dragonwing Wi-Fi 8 platforms.
• FastConnect 8800 is the first mobile system with a 4x4 Wi-Fi radio, hitting up to 11.6 Gbps.
• Wi-Fi 8, Bluetooth 7, UWB, and Thread 1.5 are packed into a single 6nm solution for tighter integration and better efficiency.
• The Dragonwing NPro A8 Elite boosts throughput by up to 40%, cuts latency by 2.5x at peak usage, and reduces daily power consumption by up to 30%.

AI is putting a huge strain on our networks. With massive images being created instantly and local AI agents constantly connecting to the cloud, the way data moves is changing fast. Qualcomm thinks small upgrades won’t be enough to solve this.

At MWC 2026, Qualcomm is betting that the AI era needs AI-ready connections from your phone to your router. To support this, it’s launching a full range of Wi-Fi 8 products, led by the new FastConnect 8800 and a new set of Dragonwing Wi-Fi 8 platforms.

The main highlight is the Qualcomm FastConnect 8800 Mobile Connectivity System. It’s the first mobile solution with a 4x4 Wi-Fi radio setup, reaching peak speeds up to 11.6 Gbps. That’s twice as fast as the previous FastConnect and offers up to three times the gigabit range.

Qualcomm is going all-in on Wi-Fi 8

You also get Wi-Fi 8 (802.11bn), Bluetooth 7, Ultra Wideband (802.15.4ab), and Thread 1.5, all packed into a single 6nm chip. Bluetooth performance is much better now. With Bluetooth High Data Throughput, speeds rise from 2 Mbps to 7.5 Mbps. This means better audio, quicker file transfers, and smoother use across multiple devices.

There’s also Proximity AI. FastConnect 8800 combines Wi-Fi Ranging, Bluetooth Channel Sounding, UWB, and even uses GPS to help you find and interact with nearby devices with centimeter-level accuracy. Imagine easily finding lost earbuds, smart tags, or handing off devices without hassle.

If you’re curious about how it compares to older models, the premium Wi-Fi lineup shows FastConnect 8800 far ahead of previous 5.8 Gbps platforms. It offers 11.6 Gbps speeds, Bluetooth 7, AI-enhanced Wi-Fi, Thread, and new RF front-end modules (QXM110x / QXM210x).

In short, your next top-end phone, laptop, or XR headset could transfer data at multi-gig speeds, stay connected over a larger area, and do it all more intelligently.

Dragonwing Wi-Fi 8: Smarter routers arrive

Qualcomm is going beyond just devices. The new Dragonwing Wi-Fi 8 Networking Platforms make routers, gateways, and enterprise access points into AI-powered systems.

For example, the Dragonwing NPro A8 Elite uses a 5x5 Wi-Fi 8 radio system that increases throughput by up to 40% at normal distances, reduces latency by 2.5 times during busy periods, and cuts daily energy use by up to 30% compared to the last generation.

Inside, there’s a new penta-core CPU and a built-in Qualcomm Hexagon NPU for on-device AI at the edge. This lets routers analyze traffic, improve quality of experience in real time, and rely less on the cloud by handling more tasks locally.

There are also versions designed for fiber and fixed wireless access. The FiberPro A8 Elite supports 10G PON, while the FWA Gen 5 Elite uses the Qualcomm X85 5G Modem-RF system to bring Wi-Fi 8 to fixed wireless broadband.

All of Qualcomm’s Wi-Fi 8 solutions are now being sampled, and commercial products are expected to arrive in late 2026.

It's that time of the year again. CES 2026 is behind us, and now our attention turns to Europe as MWC 2026 Barcelona is just a couple of weeks away. For those unfamiliar, MWC, or Mobile World Congress, is one of the biggest annual events in the mobile industry. It is a trade show similar to CES, where brands from around the world showcase their latest gadgets and innovations.

Like in previous years, the Android Central team will be on the show floor bringing you hands-on coverage and highlighting what truly matters. Several brands, including Honor, Meta, and Tecno, have already confirmed their presence at MWC, and we expect plenty of new product announcements.

With that in mind, here's everything we know will be there and what we anticipate seeing at MWC 2026. In the meantime, if you want a sense of what to expect, you can revisit the best products from our 2025 Best of MWC awards and the coolest things we saw at MWC 2025.

MWC 2026: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? Mobile World Congress, or MWC, is the world's largest consumer and business trade show where brands showcase their latest innovations. Expect new smartphones, wearables, consumer tech, and of course, plenty of AI-focused products on display.
• Who is it for? Tech enthusiasts, industry professionals, telecom experts, analysts, and members of the media who want to see what is next in communications and consumer technology.
• Where is it? MWC 2026 will take place at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, Spain.
• When is it? MWC typically runs in late February or early March. This year, it will take place from March 2 to March 5, 2026.
• What does it cost? Standard exhibition passes start at €989 and can be purchased directly from the official MWC website.

What companies will be there at MWC 2026?

Given the scale of MWC 2026, you can expect just about every major player in mobile tech to have a presence in Barcelona. That said, in recent years, some brands have chosen to host their own standalone events around the same time to grab headlines.

Samsung, for instance, is holding its Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25 to launch the Galaxy S26 series, while Nothing has the Phone 4a series event scheduled for March 5. Even so, many brands are expected to be on the show floor. Here are some notable ones we expect to see:

• Google
• TECNO
• Honor
• Nothing
• Xiaomi
• Samsung
• Dell
• RedMagic
• Vivo
• Lenovo and Motorola
• Qualcomm
• MediaTek
• Microsoft
• Arm
• Meta
• TCL
• ZTE
• Adobe
• Huawei

What to expect from MWC 2026?

Unlike the past few years, not many brands have officially confirmed their presence at MWC 2026 just yet. That could change soon, though, since the main show is still a couple of weeks away and announcements typically ramp up closer to the event.

Even so, we already have confirmation from a few companies. Here are the brands that have confirmed so far, along with those we expect to see at MWC 2026, although this is by no means an exhaustive list.

Google

Google typically has a big presence at MWC with a sizeable booth on the show floor, but it usually reserves its biggest software announcements for Google I/O, which is now confirmed for May 19, 2026. So if you're hoping for major Android 17 news, this probably isn't the event for it.

The Pixel 10a launched recently, so we could see it showcased on the show floor. That said, you can still expect some AI and Android-related updates from Google during MWC. It's also worth noting that Android 16 QPR3 is scheduled for March, so the company could officially roll it out around the event with a few new features.

Honor

Honor is one of the brands riding high right now. The company has posted strong growth recently and also impressed us with the Magic 8 Pro. It's also one of the few major names that has officially confirmed its presence at MWC 2026. While Honor hasn't revealed the exact date and time of its keynote yet, we're expecting at least two big hardware launches from the brand.

There's a good chance we'll see a new foldable as a follow-up to last year's Magic V5. In addition, Honor's microsite hints that its anticipated Robot Phone will be on the show floor. We still don't know exactly what the Robot Phone will offer, but it appears to be a smartphone paired with a gimbal-style camera setup and AI features on top.

Samsung

Samsung usually has a big presence at MWC, but this year it's hosting its Galaxy Unpacked event just days before the show, on February 25 in San Francisco. That means the Galaxy S26 series will already be official by the time MWC kicks off.

Even so, MWC could be the first opportunity for both media and the public to go hands-on with the new Galaxy S26 series.

Last year, Samsung also showcased the Galaxy S25 Edge again at MWC after unveiling it at Unpacked, so we are hoping to see a few surprises from the Korean brand this time as well.

Tecno

Alongside Xiaomi and Honor, Tecno has also become a regular at MWC, and the company is hosting another showcase this year. Last year, Tecno grabbed attention with its Spark concept phone, which managed to pack high-end specs and a bigger battery than the Galaxy S25 Edge in a 'slim' form factor.

This year, we're expecting something equally fun. Tecno has already confirmed that it'll unveil the CAMON 50 Series and the POVA 8 Series at the show. And if past years are anything to go by, we won't be surprised to see another bold concept device or a few ecosystem products make an appearance alongside the new phones.

Nothing

Nothing has confirmed that it will host the Phone 4a series launch event in London on March 5, just after MWC 2026 wraps up. That said, the company is known for building hype ahead of its launches, and MWC would be the perfect stage to tease what's coming.

Rumors suggest Nothing will launch two devices as part of the lineup, the Phone 4a and Phone 4a Pro, with updated cameras, a slightly refreshed design, and a new chipset. Nothing has already confirmed that there will be no flagship release from the brand this year, so these could be the only smartphones we see from the company in 2026.

HMD

HMD usually has something interesting to unveil at MWC. Last year, the company showcased earbuds that doubled as a MagSafe power bank, and this year we're once again expecting something creative from the brand.

Xiaomi

For the past few years, Xiaomi has used MWC as its global launchpad for flagship phones, and 2026 should be no different. We're expecting to see the Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 17 Ultra make their international debut in Barcelona. The global variant of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is rumored to feature top-tier specs, including the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and a sizeable 6,000+ mAh battery.

As usual, the real highlight will likely be Xiaomi 17 Ultra's Leica-tuned camera system. Beyond the phones, Xiaomi typically brings along a few ecosystem products as well, so we wouldn't be surprised to see new wearables, tablets, or smart home devices share the stage.

Qualcomm

Qualcomm typically has a large presence at MWC. While we do not expect the company to launch any new consumer hardware on the show floor, it usually showcases a range of demos highlighting its latest SoCs and chip capabilities. This year, however, could be slightly different.

Qualcomm's SVP of Engineering, John Smee, recently revealed in an interview that the company will showcase 6G technologies at MWC 2026 and "not just theoretical innovation but live applications."

MediaTek

MediaTek has confirmed that it will host its 'AI for Life' keynote on March 4 at 10:30 AM CET, which is 4:30 AM ET. The company says the keynote will highlight its newest products and innovations, along with insights into its latest partnerships, so this is one event we will be watching closely.

Beyond the big phone launches, expect plenty of AI gadgets across categories. Smart glasses had a major moment at CES, and I wouldn't be surprised to see even more brands push into that space at MWC. We'll be on the show floor all week, so make sure to check back for all the latest updates from the show floor.

What is Mobile World Congress and when is it?

Mobile World Congress (MWC) is an annual gathering of the biggest companies in the mobile tech world. It's where companies show off their latest devices, software, and everything awesome in-between. Pretty much anything used to keep you connected to the world around you, you'll find here.

The event happens in late February or early March and is always hosted in Barcelona, Spain. This year, it is from March 2 to 5.

Will Android Central be there — and what do we expect to see at MWC 2026?

Yes, Android Central is going this year! Managing Editor Derrek Lee, Senior Editor Harish Jonnalagadda, and senior contributors Brady Snyder and Sanuj Bhatia will all be present at MWC.

We expect a lot of announcements including some phone launches happening this year.

Here are a few of the companies we expect to be present at the event.

• AMD
• Arm
• AWS
• Meta
• Aurzen
• Clicks
• Fairphone
• Google
• Honor
• Lenovo
• MediaTek
• Nokia
• NVIDIA
• Qualcomm
• Samsung
• Samsung Display
• TCL
• Tecno
• TikTok
• Xiaomi

Keep checking this page, and check out our home page for all the news coming out of MWC 2026.

What you need to know

• Qualcomm's fiscal year Q1 2026 earnings are up to $12.25 billion, representing single-digit growth.
• The QTC division grew slightly, with a minimal 3% growth in headsets and $7.82 billion in revenue, and a more substantial 15% growth in automotive to $1.10 billion.
• Qualcomm's FY Q2 2026 outlook is expected to fall in the range of $10.2B - $11.0B, below expectations.

Qualcomm reported its FY Q1 2026 financial results on Wednesday, with revenue growing to $12.25 billion, up 5% from the same period the previous year. This was driven mostly by handset sales and the company's growing automotive efforts, as more automakers like Toyota adopt Qualcomm's digital cockpit.

"Our momentum across personal, industrial and physical AI is growing, as evidenced by recent product announcements at CES and customer traction," said Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon in a statement, highlighting the company's total record total revenues.

"While our near-term handsets outlook is impacted by industry-wide memory supply constraints, we are encouraged by end-consumer demand for premium and high tier smartphones, and remain on track to achieve our fiscal 2029 revenue goals."

On the positive side, Amon noted during the earnings call that OEMs have adopted Qualcomm's dual-flagship strategy, which includes the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, and that we have begun to see agentic AI phones coming to market.

"This is a significant milestone in the transition toward AI native smartphones in the precursor to the agentic experiences shaping the future of mobile," Amon stated.

He also highlighted the company's ongoing partnership with Samsung, stating that Qualcomm will have "approximately 75% share" with the Galaxy S26 series.

On the other side, Qualcomm CFO, Akash Palkhiwala, notes that increasing demand for memory solutions in AI data centers is "driving near term uncertainty in memory supply and pricing for handset OEMs.

As a result, the handset OEMs are taking a cautious approach in planning their business. We've seen several OEMs, especially in China, take actions to reduce their handset build plans and channel inventory."

Because of this, Qualcomm's outlook for Q2 2026 is notably below analysts' expectations, with the company anticipating revenue of $10.2 billion to $11 billion.

Android Central's take

After a relatively successful year with impressive quarterly revenue growth, Qualcomm's lower-than-expected outlook for the quarter is quite telling. We already know that smartphone prices will likely be affected in 2026, particularly in the low and mid-range, but Qualcomm's guidance shows how OEMs are doing their best to manage the shortage by being more cautious with inventory, too.

What's interesting is that the growth of AI and the need for more data centers is driving the shortage, while smartphones themselves are helping drive AI adoption. It's also becoming clear that this shortage will not abate any time soon, and Amon has even stated that they "can't really predict if this will continue for '27 or '28."

As such, it will be interesting to see how this plays out as the year goes on, as we've already seen phones like the OnePlus 15R go up in price.

That said, it is nice to hear that Qualcomm will retain its high share with the Galaxy S26. While Samsung has made strides to improve Exynos, it's clear that most consumers prefer Snapdragon to Samsung's chip, and a 75% share suggests more consumers may get their hands on devices... assuming prices don't go up and inventory holds.

What you need to know

• Rumors from an overseas tipster claim that Qualcomm is busy creating a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 "Pro" to go along with the "base" SoC.
• This chip will allegedly take its performance even higher, but the tipster states it might only have "Ultra" phones in its sights.
• Previous rumors claim the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 will built on TSMC's 2nm process with a stronger N2P for performance and power gains.

It's not strange to already imagine what Qualcomm's next flagship SoC could look like (or be named), but a new leak claims there might be a Pro.

Following Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite 5 late last year, rumors have surfaced about a Gen 6. Now, prominent Weibo tipster Digital Chat Station (DCS) says there's more to those rumors, like a second variant (via Gizmochina). DCS claims that Qualcomm is working on a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, alongside the expected 8 Elite Gen 6 in 2026. The tipster alleges that the chip bears model number SMSM8975, a slightly modified title from what was reported for the basic Gen 6.

Either way, the tipster says that this Gen 6 Pro would only be reserved for "high-end imaging flagships." Their social media post adds that this is speculative at this time.

The publication adds that further statements from the tipster state that Qualcomm could look to make this Pro chip available for "Ultra" phones. Moreover, the Gen 6 Pro is rumored to be a "full-performance" flagship-level chip, likely to boost Ultra devices over Plus and base models using the standard or original Gen 6.

Aside from the rumors, it's unclear just what strengths a Gen 6 Pro could have over the base version. With how things are positioned, it sounds like a "For Galaxy" situation, where Samsung's version is overclocked, squeezing a little more speed (GHz) out of the Snapdragon chip. We can take this Pro rumor with a grain of salt for now, and see where we're at later this year.

What's Elite could go Pro

We're several months out (at least) from any sort of Qualcomm announcements, but we've already got rumors about the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 to toy with. Right around the time when the 8 Elite Gen 5 launched, rumors for its next iteration were already talking about a power boost. It's already been rumored that this chip will be built off TSMC's 2nm process (for the Gen 6, too), which could bring an amped up N2P for performance and power consumption improvements.

Other rumors from last November claim the chip could even support LPDDR6 RAM and UFS 5.0 storage for efficiency purposes.

We've been hearing warnings that phones could rise in price this year, and rumors about Qualcomm's next chip are along those lines. Supposedly, Qualcomm's next-gen tech for its 8 Elite Gen 6 is expensive. Tipsters claim that the chip's price could rise sharply, and that price will likely fall right in the consumer's lap.

With 2026 rapidly approaching, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that we've been doing a lot of thinking about what the future holds. Not just because of the current global component shortage that's wreaking havoc across the board, but also because it's just how we do things around here for everything from phones and smartwatches to Chromebooks and tablets.

That being said, over the past year, we've seen a lot of ups and downs across the market. But it's probably safe to say that Google and Qualcomm kind of put the whole market on a "pause" during Snapdragon Summit 2025. And no, I'm not just talking about Chromebooks or just talking about tablets, but both categories.

It's not an "if," but a "when"

I get the feeling we'll soon see a merger between Android tablets and Chromebooks. I wrestle back and forth between it being an adaptation of Android 16's Desktop Mode, a redesigned ChromeOS experience, or something else entirely.

There's a non-zero chance I'm just overthinking things, and it'll just be Android desktop mode, tuned for a laptop form factor. If Google takes this approach, it might be able to cut out much of the extra bloat that comes with providing both a mobile interface and a desktop-like one.

As a result, we could be looking at devices that are even faster and snappier than the current crop of Chromebooks and tablets. Plus, there is already evidence of Qualcomm adding support for Android 16, presumably for its Snapdragon X series of processors.

Seeing as MediaTek stole the show in 2025 by bringing the Kompanio Ultra to Chromebooks, this could be Qualcomm's way of fighting back.

Chromebook, tablet, who cares. Just give me Google hardware

Given the current smattering of Chromebooks and tablets, Google's only offering is the Pixel Tablet. The problem here is that the clock's ticking, with the final major OS update arriving in mid-2026, before Google's tablet is relegated to two and a half more years of nothing but security patches (and possibly Pixel Drops).

However, when the bombshell dropped at the Snapdragon Summit, there weren't any mentions of a third party making the hardware behind Google's Android laptop. Again, it's probably a case of me borrowing Jerry Hildenbrand's tinfoil hat for a minute (thanks, Jerry). But perhaps this new category of devices is what sparks Google to get back into the laptop hardware game.

I've been pretty vocal about wanting an upgraded Pixel Tablet, and even more vocal when it comes to the rumored Pixelbook 2. Instead of delivering either of those, Google might have just been playing the long game, waiting until the chips fell into place so it could do just that, but with this new software.

Chromebooks and tablets aren't dead, or dying

Regardless of the sensationalized headlines you might find yourself coming across, neither Chromebooks nor tablets is actually going anywhere. Even with the supposed Pixel Laptop expected to be debuted at some point in 2026, this will just be an additional hardware category, as opposed to being a replacement for an existing one.

"How can you be sure?" you might be asking. In November, a report from Omdia claimed that tablet shipments are up by more than 5% compared to 2023, with Chromebooks growing by about 3.1%. Arguably just as impressive is that tablets have continued to grow in popularity for "seven consecutive quarters."

So not only is there still an apparent demand, but it may also indicate that the market is ready for something different. We're already starting to see it with Android phones, courtesy of Samsung's and Huawei's new tri-foldable phones. Perhaps Google wants to perform one of its patented public product experiments.

As always, I want more

This time last year, I commented about how I wanted to see more compact flagship tablets. Although it didn't come to fruition in the way I thought it might, we did see smaller powerhouse tablets such as the Legion Tab Gen 3, Lenovo Y700 (Gen 4), and RedMagic Astra. None of these options is larger than 9.06 inches, and two of the three are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite.

I hope to see this trend continue in 2026, as I'm also hoping some of those region-locked devices expand to North America (i.e. Lenovo's Y700.) But more importantly, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that more companies enter the mix. It would be awesome to see Samsung release a flagship Android tablet in the footprint of the Galaxy Tab A9.

On the flip side of things, even with the Pixel Laptop thingamajig probably on the way, I'm still holding out hope for a Pixel Tablet 2. Hell, I'd be happy if it were nothing more than a spec bump, leaving everything else the same, including compatibility with the Charging Speaker Dock.

Or, at the very least, I hope Google will make a surprise announcement about a new smart home interface that will "replace" the Android build on the Pixel Tablet, extending its lifespan even further. It's not like Google couldn't do it. The Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max are powered by ancient processors, so a streamlined smart home-focused interface should breeze through requests and tasks.

Who the hell knows anymore

I can sit here and keep beating the drum about how Chromebooks and tablets can keep improving. But the truth is, I have no earthly idea what's on the horizon. There is some concern about Google entering a new product category, potentially causing confusion in the ranks and throwing a wrench into everything.

We've been there before, and it wasn't until long after the Chromebook Plus branding was introduced that some semblance of order was restored. That's not to say I think this is what's going to happen, but I do think that Google has to walk a tightrope if that's the path it chooses to follow.

Then again, skyrocketing RAM and storage prices due to shortages could mean that 2026 ends up being another boring year with OEMs not willing to provide any groundbreaking releases.

The consumer electronics market in 2026 will be shaped by two opposing forces: bold innovation and tight supply chains. Foldables, smart glasses, and AI-driven wearables are set to redefine how we interact with technology, while memory shortages and slowing PC demand will create significant challenges for both brands and consumers. Here’s what to expect—and how to navigate it.

Foldables finally break out

After years of incremental progress, foldables are poised for a breakout year. Apple’s entry into the category will be the defining moment, driving awareness and premium demand. IDC forecasts nearly 30% year-over-year growth for foldables in 2026, with Apple capturing roughly 22% of unit share and over a third of market value thanks to a price point near $2,400. This move will force Android vendors to double down on durability, crease reduction, and software optimization.

Samsung is already setting the tone with its Galaxy Z TriFold, featuring a 10-inch inner display. The TriFold promises to blur the line between smartphone and tablet, creating new possibilities for multitasking and productivity.

Smart glasses enter the mainstream

Smart glasses are finally moving beyond niche status. Meta has expanded its Ray-Bans lineup to include a display, while Google and Samsung prepare to launch Android XR glasses in partnership with fashion brands like Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. Two types of glasses are expected: audio-first models for ambient AI experiences and display-in-lens designs for richer interactions.

Early demos have been promising, but both Google and Meta face critical challenges: ensuring their AI-powered assistance is reliable, fast, and privacy-conscious. If they succeed, smart glasses could become the next big wearable trend.

Wearables get “helpful, not noisy”

Wearables are evolving from notification hubs to health companions. Screen-free devices like Oura and Whoop have captured consumer attention by focusing on deep biometrics such as sleep, recovery, and readiness. Expect more rings and bands that prioritize wellness insights over constant alerts, along with medical-adjacent features like ECG and blood pressure monitoring. Traditional smartwatches will lean harder into on-device AI and safety features to justify their premium positioning.

PC growth slows

Following a strong refresh cycle in 2025, PC growth is expected to cool in 2026. DIY builders face an especially challenging year as DRAM shortages drive up component costs. Windows on ARM products could also see a mild boost as second-generation products hit shelves, leading to further discounts on the prior generation. Plus, Nvidia is rumoured to launch a chip in late 2026, which should help the entire category.

Who wins in 2026?

Apple is well-positioned to dominate headlines and margins. Its foldable iPhone will validate the category and put pressure on Android vendors, while its tight control over hardware and supply chains will help it weather DRAM-related shocks better than most PC makers. A mainstream-priced Mac is expected to launch early in 2026, which will also put a lot of pressure on the Windows PC makers.

However, Samsung isn't far behind. The Galaxy Z TriFold will reinforce its leadership in foldables, and its smartphone strength and scale will continue, allowing the company to steal share from smaller Android smartphone players. The strength in smartphones often translates into wearable success since Samsung is great at bundling products, and with the upcoming XR glasses, Samsung is poised to play a major role in the smart glasses market.

When it comes to chipsets that will back these smartphones, Qualcomm remains the silent powerhouse. Its chips power nearly every premium Android flagship and dominate XR hardware. The upcoming Snapdragon X2 Elite will bring major CPU and GPU gains to PCs, along with an 80-TOPS NPU for AI workloads. Expect thin, sleek designs and perhaps even gaming-focused laptops built around this platform.

That said, Android XR looks promising, but Google still needs to prove it can deliver polished software and seamless Gemini integration at scale. Similarly, rumors of Android PCs persist, but Google’s track record in this space is weak. Even with Qualcomm’s hardware muscle, it’s unclear why consumers would choose Android over Windows or Mac.

Not everyone wins

Consumers will feel the pinch as prices rise across categories. Memory shortages will lead to fewer upgrades at the same price points, smaller discounts on older models, and aggressive de-specing across devices. If you know you’ll need a phone or PC in 2026, buying early could save you money.

Smaller vendors face an even harsher reality. In tight supply cycles, memory suppliers prioritize top brands, leaving smaller and local players with little leverage. Some may exit the market entirely as BOM costs make devices unviable.

How to navigate 2026

If you’re eyeing a foldable, consider waiting until Apple’s launch later in the year, as pricing and trade-in dynamics will shift. For memory-sensitive devices like smartphones and PCs, buy early to avoid DRAM-driven price hikes. If you travel frequently or multitask heavily, 2026 is the year to try smart glasses. And for wellness, pairing a screen-free wearable with a smartwatch offers the best balance of insights and convenience.

That is to say, 2026 will be a year of convergence under constraint. AI will become ambient across phones, glasses, wearables, and PCs, but supply shocks and rising costs will test both brands and buyers. Foldables and smart glasses will dominate headlines, PC growth will slow, and smaller vendors will fight for survival. For consumers, timing purchases strategically will matter more than ever.

About IDC

IDC is a leading global provider of technology research, insights, and events. With a network of more than 1,000 analysts across over 100 countries, IDC delivers trusted intelligence on tech markets, trends, and opportunities to help businesses and IT leaders make informed decisions. Learn more today at IDC.com.

What is CES and when is it?

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is an annual gathering of the biggest companies in the technology space. It is known as the largest event that brings together companies from all categories to showcase new releases, concept products, and more. The event is hosted by the Consumer Technology Association. It's where companies show off their latest devices, software, and everything awesome in between. Pretty much anything used to keep you connected to the world around you, you'll find here.

The event happens every year during the first week of January in Las Vegas. This year, it will be held from January 6 to 8.

Will Android Central be there — and what do we expect to see at CES 2026?

Yes, Android Central is going this year! Senior Editor Harish Jonnalagadda will be present at CES and will be looking at all the cool technology companies intend to reveal.

We expect a lot of announcements, including some phone launches and potentially a closer look at the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold.

Here are a few of the companies we expect to be present at the event.

• Major Confirmed Attendees
  • Google
  • Samsung
  • Qualcomm
  • Arm
  • MediaTek
  • Motorola
  • Meta
  • TCL
  • Rokid
  • Magic Leap
  • Pico
  • Viture
  • Xreal
  • LG Innotek
• Very Likely Attendees
  • Xiaomi
  • Honor
• Possibly Attending (but not confirmed publicly yet)
  • Nothing
  • OPPO
  • ZTE / RedMagic
  • Huawei
  • TECNO

Keep checking this page, and check out our home page for all the news coming out of CES 2026.

What you need to know

• Qualcomm announced two chips today (Dec 11) for the mid-range and entry-level markets: the Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 2 and the Snapdragon 4 Gen 4.
• The 6s 4G Gen 2 utilizes the Kryo CPU cores for speeds of up to 2.9GHz, as well as photography upgrades for 108MP cameras for better detail.
• The Snapdragon 4 Gen 4 focuses on the battery, quickening its charge speeds from zero to 50% in 15 minutes, alongside similar camera upgrades to the 6s.

The mid-range and entry-level phone sectors are getting a boost this week, courtesy of Qualcomm, as it announces a pair of chips.

In a press release, Qualcomm informed Android Central that it's launching two chips this week for affordable phones: the Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 2 and the Snapdragon 4 Gen 4. The company parades both chips around as mobile platforms with "robust performance" to level up devices with lower strength. Kicking things off is the 6s 4G Gen 2, which looks to stamp its name in the books for "dependable power."

Qualcomm states this chip features its Kyro CPU and Adreno GPU for smoother visuals and proficient multitasking. The CPU brings speeds up to 2.9GHz, alongside subtle improvements to its GPU for 20% increased graphical performance. The company states the Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 2 supports 120fps, and it can facilitate low-lag on FHD Plus display phones.

Photography is another area Qualcomm sought to make better with the 6s 4G Gen 2. The chip can support cameras up to 108MP for refined details. Additionally, users will have access to "concurrent multi-photo and video" capabilities. This means you can shoot using all three cameras at once, giving you more options before sharing.

Qualcomm's been placing more focus on AI, and the necessary means to support it, and the 6s 4G Gen 2 is no different.

The chip supports voice assistance via AI software for quicker response times when called. Moreover, Qualcomm has improved its microphone capabilities and echo cancellation to ensure voices remain on video and recordings remain crisp and undistorted.

Enter the Snapdragon 4

The second chip, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 4, sits on the same hallmarks as the 6s 4G Gen 2. Qualcomm's placed its Kryo CPU in this chip, too; however, its speeds only peak at 2.3GHz. When it comes to the Adreno GPU, smooth graphics with support for 120fps are highlighted. Such graphical promises are slated for phones with FHD Plus screens.

The chip can support phones with cameras up to 108MP, similar to the 6s 4G Gen 2. Concurrent camera capture remains the same across both chips; however, Qualcomm highlights the SD 4 Gen 4's "hardware-based multi-frame noise reduction." Through this, the company states its chip can cut out grainy results when taking photos.

While swift 5G and Wi-Fi are touted, the affordable chip lends its strength to another area: battery life. With Qualcomm's Quick Charge 4 Plus technology, the post claims the chip can bring users from 0% to 50% in roughly 15 minutes.

Qualcomm adds that the Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 2 and the Snapdragon 4 Gen 4 have been included in its "mobile roadmap" with their sights squarely on the mid-range and entry-level markets.

What you need to know

• Motorola appears to be gearing up for an Edge 70 Ultra launch, marking the first non-folding Ultra phone in two years.
• The Edge 70 Ultra could be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 mobile platform.
• The flagship phone would pair the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip with an Adreno GPU and 16GB of RAM

Motorola might be gearing up to release a new flagship phone called the Edge 70 Ultra. It would add a premium offering to the existing Edge 70 lineup, which debuted in some regions earlier this month. Now, reliable leaker Evan Blass is reporting the Motorola Edge 70 Ultra will indeed be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip, confirming an earlier rumor. This would put the Edge 70 Ultra behind flagship models like the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025, but ahead of the rest of the Edge 70 series.

It'll be the first non-folding "Ultra" model from Motorola in a few years, since the brand skipped an Edge 60 Ultra for the previous generation. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Evan Blass says the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip will be inside of Motorola's unannounced flagship, codenamed "Urus." Blass adds that this model will be likely branded as the Motorola Edge 70 Ultra.

The leak comes mere days after Qualcomm officially announced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 mobile platform, which sits below the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 mobile platform. The lower-tier chip is still considered a flagship offering, built on TSMC's 3nm process node and packing solid AI and gaming performance. The chip could be paired with an Adreno 829 GPU and 16GB of memory in the Motorola Edge 70 Ultra.

Motorola Edge 70 Ultra rumors point to Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, not Elite

This report from Blass confirms an earlier leak, which revealed the Chinese variant of the Edge 70 Ultra in alleged benchmark results. That rumor claimed the phone's model number could be XT2603-1, and it was thought the phone could be branded the Moto X70 Ultra. Now, it's looking more like Motorola will go with the Motorola Edge 70 Ultra name.

The leaked benchmarks claim the Edge 70 Ultra scored 2,636 on single-core tests, while it earned 7,475 for multi-core performance. That's below what we've come to expect from Qualcomm's Elite-branded chips, but still impressive.

With Motorola's non-folding flagship allegedly opting for the lesser Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, the company's only phone to sport the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor could be the Motorola Razr Ultra 2026.

What you need to know

• Qualcomm has introduced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, a new flagship-tier chipset positioned below the 8 Elite Gen 5.
• The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 offers strong gaming, AI, and performance gains while targeting more affordable flagship phones.
• It uses TSMC's 3 nm N3P process with Oryon CPU cores, delivering better efficiency and notable AI improvements.
• First phones with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 will arrive soon from brands like OnePlus, Vivo, Motorola, and iQOO.

Qualcomm today (Nov. 26) unveiled a new addition to its flagship lineup of smartphone processors, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5.

It's been only a couple of months since Qualcomm officially revealed the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset at the company's Snapdragon Summit 2025. During the event, Qualcomm also teased a new flagship-level chipset meant to complement the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, branded as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 (without the Elite name).

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 sits slightly below the Elite version but is still a flagship processor, and it is now officially here.

Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 will bring "flagship-level performance" to a "wider range of premium smartphones." The chipset will target users who want top-tier performance for gaming, video editing, and advanced AI features.

A closer look at Qualcomm's slightly less-premium Snapdragon 8 Gen 5

In terms of technical specifications, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is based on TSMC's 3 nm N3P process, the same as the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. It even features the same Oryon CPU cores, although it is clocked slightly lower at 3.8 GHz. Qualcomm claims up to 36% improved performance and 42% better power efficiency compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

GPU improvements are at around 11%, but power efficiency is up by 28% compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which should result in improved graphics performance while using less power.

AI performance gains, however, are much larger, with Qualcomm claiming up to a 46% improvement over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This should deliver much-improved performance for on-device AI tasks, with Qualcomm saying the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 will also enable agentic AI assistants to deliver context-aware interactions and personalized suggestions.

Overall, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 should offer near top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 performance for more price-conscious flagship phones. The first devices featuring the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 are expected soon from brands including OnePlus, Vivo, Motorola, and iQOO, with new models "launching in the coming weeks."

What you need to know

• A recent rumor suggest Qualcomm is adding Android 16 support to its Snapdragon X series of processors.
• It's currently unknown as to whether Qualcomm will be doing the same for its Snapdragon X2 chips.
• Even with this progression, we're still likely a few months away from seeing the first Android laptop.

There were quite a few announcements made at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit earlier this year, which included confirmation that Android laptops were on the way. Recently, it was discovered that Qualcomm "is working on Android support for the X Elite and X (series)" processors.

Bringing Android support to Qualcomm's flagship ARM SoC was one of the hurdles that needed to be cleared before either Google or Qualcomm could move forward. However, with this out of the way, it's probably safe to assume that the development cycle will ramp up fairly rapidly.

It's not like we were expecting to see any Android-powered laptops before the end of the year anyways. But, given that the announcement was made in late September, it's reassuring to see meaningful progress being made before the end of the year.

As a refresher, Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon X series of processors in June 2024, debuting as the company's latest attempt to bring Windows to ARM devices. A few companies released new hardware to accompany the launch, such as Samsung with its Galaxy Book 4 Edge, and the Microsoft Surface Pro 11.

After years of failing to really compete with Apple's M-series, Qualcomm seemingly struck gold with the Snapdragon X lineup. Our colleagues over at Windows Central found that the X Elite nearly matched Apple's M3 Pro and M3 Max in single-core CPU performance. Meanwhile the X Elite (80W) goes toe-to-toe with the M3 Pro when it comes to GPU performance.

At the most recent Snapdragon Summit, Qualcomm introduced the Snapdragon X2 series of processors, looking to build on the success. In regards to the Snapdragon X2 Elite, Qualcomm says that CPU performance "up to 31% faster" than its predecessor, "and requires up to 43% less power."

As for GPU performance, the Snapdragon X2 Elite is said to offer a "2.3X increase in performance per watt and power efficiency." Not to mention that there's also the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, but I wouldn't hold my breath if you're hoping to see this powering an Android laptop.

Nevertheless, it's still exciting to see Qualcomm moving forward, even if the first batch of Android laptops aren't powered by the Snapdragon X2. I'm sure more information will continue to trickle out, but I'm not expecting to see much until after the new year. And a year after I wrote about it, I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for a Surface Pro-style laptop powered by Android.

This is Android Central's News Weekly, your go-to source for a concise roundup of the week's most significant tech stories. This is where we delve into the top headlines that provide the latest developments and innovations contributing to the digital landscape.

This week, YouTube TV and Disney's feud continues, Google Maps gets a massive Gemini upgrade, Qualcomm reports its Q4 earnings, Galaxy S26 might be a tad heavier on your wallet, and Samsung's trifold leaks again. Let's dive in now, shall we?

YouTube TV and Disney's streaming stand off continues

Read more here and here

It's been 8 days since Disney pulled all of its channels from YouTube TV, and this week was pretty uneventful as the streaming giants weren't able to negotiate a deal. This has left several YouTube TV users in limbo, without access to ESPN, ABC, and other Disney channels.

The ongoing issue resulted in subscribers missing both a football game and the election day coverage that occurred earlier this week. To provide a brief update on the current situation, Disney has recently requested that YouTube TV restore access to ABC for just a day. Google denied that request with a public statement, saying that Disney's proposal would "cause customer confusion" since the channel would disappear after that.

Disney argues that YouTube TV is refusing to pay "fair rates" for its channels, while YouTube TV says that Disney is proposing "costly economic terms" that would force it to raise the price of their subscription.

YouTube also issued a $20 credit for the inconvenience users have been facing, but that didn't do any good, as a recent report suggests that several are ditching the service due to the uncertainty of the whole situation.

However, those seeking respite have other streaming options if they wish to access Disney content.

Google Maps gets boosted with Gemini

Read more here

Google Maps just got a major Gemini update this week, and in case you missed it, here's what Google plans to roll out on Maps in the coming weeks. With a goal for hands-free navigation, Gemini will allow you to ask for things while on the go, like "Find a budget-friendly restaurant with vegan options along my route," or follow up with questions like, "What's the parking like there?"

Additionally, users will also be able to report traffic disruptions more naturally, simply saying things like, "I see an accident," or "Watch out for that slowdown," instead of tapping on the screen whilst driving.

The most exciting update is that Google Lens is directly built in with Gemini at its core. Users arriving at a restaurant can open Lens and ask about the establishment. They will be able to voice their query or type it, and let Gemini explain "what's so popular" about the place they're at.

Qualcomm's AI powered double digit Q4 earnings

Read more here

Qualcomm ended its year reporting a Q4 revenue of $11.3 billion, with a 10% year-over-year increase. The uptick in revenue was due to the chipmaker's QCT division, which saw revenue gains across the board.

Headsets revenue increased by 14% to nearly $7 billion, driven by its Snapdragon 8 Elite chipsets for high-end Android smartphones. Additionally, Automotive and IoT rose 17% and 7%, respectively, highlighting the growing success of the company's diversified strategy.

"Our business remains strong as demonstrated by record QCT revenues in fiscal 2025," said Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon in a statement. Other than AI, smart glasses also contributed to the company's earnings.

"This emerging category is growing at a remarkable pace, and has reached an inflection point, fueled by very strong demand for smart glasses from Meta," Amon stated. "This quarter alone, Meta introduced several new Snapdragon-powered styles, including the Ray Ban Meta second-generation glasses, the Oakley Meta Vanguard performance glasses, and the Meta Ray-Ban Display and Neuro Band."

Galaxy S26 could get pricier

Read more here

We're a few months away from Samsung's Unpacked event; however, the Galaxy S26 leaks keep getting better. While there were tons of specs and launch day-related leaks, this one specifically sheds light on how much it could actually cost.

Korean outlet ET News (via @Jukanlosreve on X) reports that pricing for the Galaxy S26 series could increase compared to the Galaxy S25 due to the rising costs of many internal components all at once.

Tech giants like Samsung and Google strive to maintain the same cost of their flagship models year after year, essentially absorbing all excess production costs, which gives consumers little to no reason to opt for a new phone.

Samsung did increase the price of the Galaxy S24 Ultra by $100 when it launched in January 2024, so if pricing rises again, it would mark the second increase in three years.

Samsung's Galaxy Z Trifold shows up in all angles

Read more here

Samsung lifted the veil on its much-awaited tri-folding phone, the Galaxy Z Trifold (rumored to be called), and now more information about this device seems to be surfacing. While the images shown at the Summit in South Korea gave us a glimpse of the trifold from afar, a new video has emerged, offering a closer and more detailed look at the phone. In the video, the presenter goes over the various visible phone specs.

Regarding the display, the tri-fold could have a 6.5-inch display, similar to a regular smartphone; however, when unfolded, it will feature a 10-inch display. The video also reveals that the display's bezels appear thick, which could limit usable screen space.

You can also see that the camera placement of the trifold is similar to that of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, as the lenses are placed vertically on an elevated camera bump with the flash off to the side. This suggests Samsung could be maintaining a consistent design across its upcoming product line.

More stories this week

Those are some of the biggest stories from this week. Meanwhile, here are some other stories that are worth catching up on:

• Samsung says the Galaxy S26 will get an AI upgrade with enhanced camera performance
• Ray-Ban Metas just got an unexpected video recording upgrade
• Google and Epic's settlement proposal could finally end the multi-year Play Store dispute
• Android Central and 9to5Google join forces to discuss the Galaxy XR, Android XR, and what it means for the future of VR and smart glasses
• Samsung's rogue stress alerts signal a larger problem with smartwatches
• Samsung's Galaxy XR could expand to more countries in 2026
• The good-old Google dictionary box in Search might be getting replaced by AI
• Samsung is restocking Galaxy XR controllers, but you'll have to act fast
• Samsung to get 'aggressive' with the Galaxy S26 with hopes to sell 36 million units
• Spotify can now tell which songs Android users are addicted to

What you need to know

• Qualcomm reported its FY Q4 financial earnings on Wednesday, November 5.
• The company reported a 10% increase in revenue to $10.27 billion during the quarter, while overall revenue for the year grew by 13% to $44.14 billion.
• Headset sales drove revenue following the launch of the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, with Automotive seeing the most significant revenue gains in the division.

Qualcomm finished its financial year on a high note, reporting FY Q4 revenue of $11.3 billion, representing a 10% year-over-year increase. This was driven largely by its QCT division, which saw revenue gains across the board.

Headsets were up 14% to nearly $7 billion, driven no doubt by sales of its Snapdragon 8 Elite chipsets for high-end Android smartphones. Additionally, Automotive and IoT rose 17% and 7%, respectively, highlighting the growing success of the company's diversified strategy.

"Our business remains strong as demonstrated by record QCT revenues in fiscal 2025," said Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon in a statement.

"We delivered 18% year-over-year growth in total QCT non-Apple revenues, with combined fiscal year Automotive and IoT revenue growth of 27%. We are excited about our business momentum, the availability of our automated driving stack, and our expansion to data centers and advanced robotics."

Android premium tier continues to be strong

Despite rumors of a "lead Android customer" moving towards using more of its own modem in its devices, Qualcomm remains confident about its position in premium Android headsets. Amon noted the strong partnership with Samsung, with Qualcomm's share of chips across its Galaxy S25 reaching 100% as Samsung reserved its Exynos chips for the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and affordable Galaxy S25 FE.

Amon also anticipates a baseline of 75% share for the Galaxy S26 series, which is expected to launch in early 2026 and potentially use an upcoming Exynos chip across some of its devices in certain regions.

It's also expected that Qualcomm may eventually lose Apple as a customer as the company leverages its own in-house modem across its devices, such as the recently-launched iPhone Air. Still, the company seems confident in its position on Android and other devices.

The emerging form factor

IoT growth has been driven by the increased adoption of smart glasses, particularly following the recent launch of Meta's new lineup.

"This emerging category is growing at a remarkable pace, and has reached an inflection point, fueled by very strong demand for smart glasses from Meta," Amon stated. "This quarter alone, Meta introduced several new Snapdragon-powered styles, including the Ray Ban Meta second-generation glasses, the Oakley Meta Vanguard performance glasses, and the Meta Ray-Ban Display and Neuro Band."

And while Meta leads the market on smart glasses and XR, Qualcomm also highlighted Samsung's recently announced Galaxy XR as an important launch for Google's Android XR OS, with Snapdragon as the platform of choice.

What's next?

Qualcomm is expecting a strong fiscal Q1, thanks to the launch of devices powered by its new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. This chip promises faster performance across the CPU, GPU, and NPU, enabling new use cases as Qualcomm and Google strive for a more interconnected and seamless ecosystem of AI-powered devices.

The first devices utilizing this chip have already been announced, including the Xiaomi 17, OnePlus 15, and RedMagic 11 Pro. More devices powered by the chip are expected to be released into the new year.

We also expect to see more Snapdragon-powered cars and smart glasses, such as the highly anticipated Android XR glasses from companies like Samsung. These will offer Gemini AI capabilities and compete with devices like the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) at a cheaper price point than the Galaxy XR headset, which should drive adoption of the form factor.

What you need to know

• Qualcomm could allegedly skip the traditional 2nm process for TSMC's advanced N2P, enhancing performance and reducing power consumption.
• Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 could support LPDDR6 RAM and UFS 5.0 storage for improved efficiency.
• Higher production costs will likely result in increased flagship smartphone prices for consumers.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 just about launched, and we're already hearing some chatter about the next chip. Rumor has it that TSMC could likely be skipping the traditional 2nm process for TSMC's advanced N2P, promising an impressive performance boost and reduced power consumption—though this leap in technology could come at a steep price for consumers.

The chip in question is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, reportedly codenamed SM8975. Reliable leaker Digital Chat Station said on Weibo that Qualcomm is apparently skipping straight to TSMC's most advanced 2nm manufacturing process, N2P (via Android Authority).

To put that in perspective, the current Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip — which powers top-tier phones like the Xiaomi 17 and OnePlus 15 — is built on a 3nm process. By jumping directly to the refined N2P node, Qualcomm is bypassing the first-gen N2 process entirely.

The N2P process represents TSMC’s second-generation 2nm technology, and it’s already looking impressive on paper. Compared to the N3E node (used for the 3nm-based Snapdragon 8 Elite), N2P promises up to 18% better performance or 36% lower power consumption.

It also packs around 1.15x the chip density of the current 3nm N3E process, allowing for more transistors in the same space. Simply put, this is the kind of tech shift that could redefine what Android flagships can do over the next few years.

A full platform overhaul

Qualcomm is also planning to add support for LPDDR6 RAM and UFS 5.0 storage in the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6. These upgrades should make phones faster and more efficient.

The new memory and storage standards are also designed with AI-driven tasks in mind, so they may come in handy for the increasingly machine-learning-heavy world of Android software and camera systems.

Now for the bad news. This cutting-edge technology is expensive. DCS says the cost of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chip itself is expected to increase greatly. That cost won't be eaten by the manufacturers. It will be passed directly to you.

So, while the next generation of elite smartphones is poised to be incredibly powerful, those eye-watering prices are only going to get higher.

What you need to know

• Qualcomm is said to be skipping the standard 2nm process and jumping directly to TSMC's refined N2P node for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6.
• The shift to the 2nm N2P process promises up to an 18% performance boost or a massive 36% reduction in power consumption compared to the current chip.
• The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 is expected to cost significantly more, and that increase will likely be reflected in the next wave of flagship phone prices.

We’re all just getting acquainted with the phones running the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, but the rumor mill is already churning out interesting details on its successor. And we could be looking at a major leap in technology that may redefine flagship performance, although it’s supposedly bringing a painful price hike along for the ride.

The chip in question is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, reportedly codenamed SM8975. Reliable leaker Digital Chat Station said on Weibo that Qualcomm is apparently skipping straight to TSMC's most advanced 2nm manufacturing process, N2P (via Android Authority).

To put that in perspective, the current Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip — which powers top-tier phones like the Xiaomi 17 and OnePlus 15 — is built on a 3nm process. By jumping directly to the refined N2P node, Qualcomm is bypassing the first-gen N2 process entirely.

The N2P process represents TSMC’s second-generation 2nm technology, and it’s already looking impressive on paper. Compared to the N3E node (used for the 3nm-based Snapdragon 8 Elite), N2P promises up to 18% better performance or 36% lower power consumption.

It also packs around 1.15x the chip density of the current 3nm N3E process, allowing for more transistors in the same space. Simply put, this is the kind of tech shift that could redefine what Android flagships can do over the next few years.

A full platform overhaul

Qualcomm is also planning to add support for LPDDR6 RAM and UFS 5.0 storage in the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6. These upgrades should make phones faster and more efficient.

The new memory and storage standards are also designed with AI-driven tasks in mind, so they may come in handy for the increasingly machine-learning-heavy world of Android software and camera systems.

Now for the bad news. This cutting-edge technology is expensive. DCS says the cost of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chip itself is expected to increase greatly. That cost won't be eaten by the manufacturers. It will be passed directly to you.

So, while the next generation of elite smartphones is poised to be incredibly powerful, those eye-watering prices are only going to get higher.

What you need to know

• The Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 is Qualcomm’s first 6-series chip built on a 4nm process, bringing flagship-level efficiency and performance to budget devices.
• With a Kryo CPU that’s up to 36% faster and an Adreno GPU boasting 59% more power, expect smoother multitasking, faster app launches, and better gaming.
• It supports up to 200MP photos and 2K video with triple ISPs, HDR improvements, and multi-frame noise reduction for cleaner, sharper shots.

Qualcomm just gave budget and mid-range phones a shot in the arm with the launch of the Snapdragon 6s Gen 4, its first 6-series chip built on a 4nm process.

This new platform is designed to bring features typically reserved for premium devices to more affordable models, giving users faster performance, better gaming, and improved camera experiences without breaking the bank.

The Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 is a significant upgrade from the 6 Gen 1, mainly due to its 4nm architecture, which Qualcomm says offers better efficiency and performance. According to the company’s product overview of the chipset, the new Kryo CPU is up to 36% faster, and the Adreno GPU delivers a 59% improvement in graphics, making it a strong choice for multitaskers and mobile gamers.

This translates to smoother app launches, quicker responses, and better gameplay, all with lower power use. The platform supports 144Hz FHD+ displays. Gamers will benefit from features like Variable Rate Shading and Game Quick Touch, which improve efficiency and touch response, making mid-range phones feel closer to gaming flagships.

Pro-level camera support

On the camera side, Qualcomm didn’t hold back. Like the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 unveiled earlier this year, the Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 supports up to 200MP photo capture and 2K video recording, with triple image signal processors (ISP) for more versatile shooting setups. It also uses Multi-Frame Noise Reduction (MFNR) to improve clarity in low-light shots, making photos sharper and cleaner.

With the Qualcomm Spectra ISP, users get enhanced HDR, improved color accuracy, and smoother autofocus. These features were once only found in high-end devices.

Connectivity is also much better. The built-in Snapdragon X62 5G Modem-RF system works with both sub-6GHz and mmWave bands, offering download speeds up to 2.9Gbps. The chip supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4. With Qualcomm AI Engine, users get smarter camera features, better voice recognition, and real-time improvements to photos and audio.

On paper, the Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 pushes the 6-series line into new territory, making advanced features that were once reserved to the top Android phones more accessible than ever. Qualcomm hasn’t confirmed which phones will debut with the chip yet, but brands like Xiaomi, Motorola, and OPPO are expected to adopt it soon.

What you need to know

• Industry shift prioritizes AI experience over hardware, revolutionizing consumer tech engagement
• GenAI enables real-time capabilities like image editing and personalized content creation on premium smartphones.
• Future integration across devices promises seamless AI utility for consumers.

AI is everywhere, and GenAI has been reshaping how tech companies think about their products. Much like how Samsung just announced its partnership with Perplexity on its TVs, which allows users to look up shows, movies, and even plan trips with the AI right from their couch.

Companies like Google and Motorola have been marketing the AI experience on their new phones, more than the actual device itself, and Nothing is also putting its $200M funding to create its own AI-native devices. This means, slowly yet steadily, we see a shift in the industry, where it is no longer about the hardware; we've entered an era where the experience with the device matters more than its looks.

And if this device can communicate with a bunch of apps on your phone with just a voice command, to help you reserve a table at your favorite restaurant, send invites to the guests, and also block your calendar, all in one. This would basically eliminate the need to open up multiple apps, significantly reducing the time spent on these tasks.

In the near future, the phone will serve as a central hub, functioning as a remote to communicate with other smart devices integrated with AI. According to a recent report by IDC, this changed only two years ago when GenAI began appearing in premium smartphones. With capabilities like real-time image editing, personalized content creation, and advanced voice interactions, oftentimes with on-device, low-latency processing. GenAI brought AI to the forefront, but its reach was limited.

IDC further notes that in a span of a few years, users will be able to interact with the same personalized AI (be it Gemini, Perplexity, and more) across smart glasses, wearables, and ambient devices. This will basically allow GenAI to pick the device that is most suited for the task at hand, for instance, if you have to move seamlessly from your phone to your headphones or car dashboard.

Devices like AI-powered smart glasses are also contributing to this shift, offering hands-free, real-time assistance, as they can basically see and hear everything the user does. Much like the new Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, letting you do pretty much anything while keeping your phone tucked away, from checking messages to basically navigating through life, you get to do it all with just one glance at the in-lens display.

This is also what other companies like Google and Samsung are looking to bring to the table. IDC further notes that "consumers want features that solve problems, save time, and delight. For device vendors, the ones who can sell the AI experience, translating AI into everyday user value, will be the ones that stand out."

Wireless headphones and earbuds are ubiquitous in 2025, but they're built upon an imperfect standard: Bluetooth. There are several aspects of Bluetooth that make it an excellent choice for wirelessly connecting a wide range of devices, including audio gear. It's versatile, compatible, and continues to evolve, gaining new features with each iteration, such as Bluetooth 6 and Low Energy (LE) Audio.

However, there are a few notable limitations that come with using Bluetooth for audio playback on headphones, earbuds, and speakers. Two big ones are range and quality. The average range for common Bluetooth devices (Class 2) is about 33 feet, which isn't much and can be shortened by interference, digital or physical, like walls or floors. Additionally, attaining lossless quality for music over Bluetooth is near impossible, though emerging codecs like AptX Lossless are trying to make it a reality.

That raises an important question: should we focus on improving Bluetooth or switch to Wi-Fi? Qualcomm is a company that's doing both, developing AptX Lossless over Bluetooth and working on XPAN (Expanded Personal Area Network) over Wi-Fi. It's exciting, but Sonos has been doing Wi-Fi on its speakers for years, and Qualcomm announced XPAN years ago.

So, where is Wi-Fi for consumer audio gear, like headphones and earbuds? It's a complex situation, but the future looks bright.

Why we need Wi-Fi over Bluetooth (and how it works)

Many casual audio enthusiasts wonder why Wi-Fi headphones and earbuds haven't gained popularity yet, as evidenced by numerous Reddit threads. After all, Wi-Fi speakers are very much a thing, and Sonos has a robust ecosystem of them. Taking that technology and applying it to headphones and earbuds should be easy, right? Well, not exactly.

The perceived simplicity of this goal usually comes from a misunderstanding of how Wi-Fi speakers like Sonos work. When connecting a pair of Bluetooth headphones to your phone, it's your smartphone that streams the music from a service and then separately beams it to those headphones. Your phone is talking to a streaming service over Wi-Fi or data (or playing downloaded content), and subsequently shares the audio with a wireless device over Bluetooth.

That's not how Wi-Fi speakers like Sonos operate. In this scenario, your phone effectively becomes a remote control for your Sonos speaker, which independently streams music from a service over Wi-Fi. That's how you can remotely control playback on Sonos speakers from across the world, whereas you typically need to be within 33 feet to maintain a Bluetooth connection.

To apply this technology to headphones and earbuds, these consumer audio products must be able to connect to Wi-Fi networks and stream audio independently of an intermediary device, such as a smartphone. That's tricky, because you'd need to cram extra hardware into smaller devices. It might be why Sonos' first pair of headphones, the Sonos Ace, opted for Bluetooth instead of Wi-Fi, unlike the rest of the ecosystem.

But Wi-Fi has clear advantages over Bluetooth, which is why many audiophiles crave it. The connectivity protocol effectively removes the range limits of Bluetooth — with enough networking hardware and access points, Wi-Fi earbuds could work anywhere that receives your network's signal — and adds high-fidelity audio.

Qualcomm's XPAN technology brings Wi-Fi audio

This technology isn't a fever-dream; it's real and available now in the form of Qualcomm XPAN. It's available on select headphones and earbuds, like the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro, and extends the range typically provided by Bluetooth by adding your home Wi-Fi network. In practice, it means your buds won't cut out if you walk too far away from your Bluetooth device, since they'll fall back to Wi-Fi.

Built upon the Snapdragon Sound platform and the S7 series of chips, Qualcomm XPAN is trying to make Wi-Fi headphones and earbuds mainstream. There's a long road ahead, but the first consumer audio products to support XPAN were released this year, including the Buds 5 Pro.

Aside from the extended range, Qualcomm XPAN offers higher-fidelity audio by leveraging a Wi-Fi connection. The mode's maximum quality is 96kHz/24-bit, which is higher than CD-quality. In other words, XPAN technology and supported devices like the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro deliver true wireless lossless audio beyond what conventional Bluetooth offers.

While 96kHz/24-bit is something you can use with XPAN today, the future is 24-bit/192kHz lossless audio. So, what's in the way of that future becoming reality?

The slow adoption

In some ways, Wi-Fi as an audio connectivity standard comes with just as many pain points as Bluetooth, which may be slowing adoption. The extra hardware needed to make it work could be expensive or open an entirely new can of worms on the research and development side. Plus, using Wi-Fi consumes more battery than Bluetooth, especially when compared to new standards like LE Audio.

Mainstream earbuds and headphones with Wi-Fi support would need extra chips, a solution to the battery life problem, and a solution to the compatibility problem. While almost everything supports Bluetooth audio these days, Wi-Fi audio compatibility would need to be built from the ground up. For instance, you need a supported phone like the flagship Xiaomi 15 Ultra to get the full 96Hz/24-bit audio of XPAN.

Even technologies like Qualcomm XPAN use a mix of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, rather than streaming audio directly over Wi-Fi, like Sonos speakers do. This helps Qualcomm address the battery life problem that would plague true Wi-Fi headphones.

The hybrid approach, combined with larger internal batteries — the Wi-Fi version of Xiaomi's Buds 5 Pro has a 64mAh battery compared to the 53mAh capacity of the Bluetooth version — helps Qualcomm deliver the same or better battery life as Bluetooth earbuds.

We haven't seen Wi-Fi headphones and earbuds go mainstream due to technical limitations and compatibility issues, but that might be changing as emerging standards like Qualcomm's XPAN continue to grow.

Qualcomm just launched its new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, promising to elevate AI capabilities on smartphones. With a focus on ambient AI and personalization, Qualcomm aims to enable more proactive AI that operates in the background and only surfaces when needed.

This is not unlike what we've started to see from Google, with features that redefine what AI can do for us, and we'll probably see more of that as new Snapdragon flagship phones reach consumers.

With chipmakers and OEMs shifting their focus to agentic and ambient AI, it appears that companies are finally coming around to understanding how AI can truly benefit consumers.

Finding its purpose

During Qualcomm's keynote, Rick Osterloh, Google's SVP of Platforms and Devices, recounted that Google declared itself an AI-first company in 2015, well before the term was widely understood.

Years later, generative AI and chatbots emerged, sparking considerable skepticism about the role of AI and its potential impact on jobs and daily life. To some extent, that concern remains for many people.

According to Anshel Sag, principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, consumers haven't yet fully warmed up to AI.

"I think consumers are still pretty weary of AI, but the people who find value in it are believers," Sag tells me. "I also think that AI is a black box for a lot of people, and they really don't understand how it works at all."

However, things are starting to shift as companies continue to explore AI, but in a way that's beginning to feel more cohesive and focused. Thanks to devices like the Pixel 10, we've started to see how companies are transforming AI into something more useful for the average consumer, and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 feels like a natural expansion of this, as highlighted by Osterloh.

"Well, now I think we're seeing what [being an AI-first company] means," he told Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon during the keynote. "The whole goal is to help the user get what they want to get done, done more easily and more quickly. I think this is what this promises, and it’s so exciting right now because I think we’re starting to see the early stages of what can happen with it."

AI when you need it

Last year, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai noted how AI innovation in 2025 would slow down compared to the previous couple of years, saying that progress "is going to get harder," and that "the low-hanging fruit is gone." However, if you read between the lines, he also seems to suggest that AI will finally begin to settle and establish itself.

That's what it feels like with new ambient and agentic AI features coming to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Features like Sensing Hub and Personal Scribe can learn more about a user to provide personalized recommendations or surface contextual prompts based on their actions.

We've seen this already with Magic Cue on the Pixel 10 series. The phone will surface phone numbers, addresses, flight details, or event information based on what you're doing in that moment. The experience feels somewhat limited right now, but when it works, it feels almost like magic.

There's plenty of potential with this feature, which is still relatively new, but during his keynote, Amon pledged to "bring AI everywhere" and seemed excited about the future and where Snapdragon can take these new experiences.

"The UI now understands your intention, and you're going to have options. You're going to continue to use the apps you want to use, but the apps are going to evolve. They will anticipate your needs. They're going to be able to do things for you, and that's what an agentic experience is going to be."

The ecosystem

Companies are realizing that all their devices can play a role in enabling more proactive AI, and we're starting to see how different form factors can contribute to how AI understands your world and interactions.

This means that your Android phone, smart glasses, and even a smartwatch could all feed data to the AI agent about what's happening around you, allowing it to make suggestions based on your schedule and its knowledge of you.

"At the center of the whole experience is the AI agent, and that changes how we think about all the devices that we have," Amon noted. "They're no longer just doing the job of extending the functionality of the phone, but they are actually now engaging directly with the agent."

He also highlights how horizontal platforms are better than vertical because "you're going to choose what glasses you want, what jewelry you want, what watch you want..." Although, while I love the idea of consumers having a choice, I remain skeptical about how disparate AI ecosystems can affect this vision.

Sag thinks it's still a very unclear landscape, between bigger players wanting to develop their own ecosystems and smaller, more flexible companies. "I think we will likely have a bit of both since the highly integrated platforms will likely have a smoother user experience and higher accuracy based on housing more of the users' data."

AI's final form?

Ultimately, I'm excited about where companies like Google and Qualcomm are heading with AI. If you look at Pixel 10 ads, they focus less on the phone and more on what the AI can do for you, with features like Gemini Live. I believe this is a smart approach during a time when consumers are still a bit overwhelmed by everything.

And with agentic AI working in the background for you, I think we're finally reaching AI's ultimate form. Sag agrees to an extent, noting that ambient AI has a bigger impact on people's daily lives than on-demand AI.

"I think it's one of the final forms, especially for consumers. It needs to be a value adder that isn't intrusive and complements the way people do things today until it becomes the default way of doing things."

Qualcomm provided travel and lodging to the Snapdragon Summit. However, it did not receive a preview of this article or provide editorial input prior to its publication.

This week, Qualcomm hosted its yearly Snapdragon Summit, where the company has already unveiled the next generation of flagship smartphone chips, along with new Snapdragon Arm processors. I'm just as excited as the next nerd about those, but something was said by Google SVP for Platforms and Devices Rick Osterloh during the CEO Keynote that caught my attention.

Towards the end of the Keynote, Osterloh was asked by Qualcomm President and CEO Cristiano Amon "What can you share about this new project we're doing together about personal computing?" Right off the bat, that's enough to get my ears to perk up, as I assumed it would have something to do with Chromebooks and ChromeOS. However, Osterloh's response didn't mention ChromeOS or Chromebooks once.

Google's entering the "PC domain"?

"In the past we've always had very different systems between what we're building on PCs and what we're building on smartphones. And we've embarked on a project to combine that. And so, we're building together a common technical foundation for our products on PCs and desktop computing systems."

That might seem like a bunch of fodder, but it's just the build up before Osterloh reaches the crescendo a moment later. "...bringing all of our application and developer community into the PC domain. So we're really excited about this, and I think this is another way in which Android is going to be able to serve everyone in every computing category."

Pixel Laptop anyone?

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but that sure sounded like Google is working on something major, with Osterloh trying to remain as tight-lipped about it as possible. Then, Amon let another cat out of the bag, as he replies with "It's incredible. It delivers on the conversion from mobile to PC. I can't wait to have one." So not only is this a separate platform from say, Windows, but it sure sounded like Google's working on some new hardware.

Immediately, I was reminded of the "Pixel Laptop" rumor that was making its rounds in late 2024, which was initially said to be running ChromeOS. However, a subsequent rumor suggested that wouldn't be the case, and instead would be the result of merging ChromeOS into Android, creating a completely different, yet familiar, experience.

Google's cooking something up

That would've been enough for me to be intrigued, but then, our friends over at Chrome Unboxed called out a discovery made by Chromebook Live about "Android Desktop." And before that, Chrome Unboxed found references to a brand new ARM-powered ChromeOS tablet codenamed "Sapphire" with "code changes that explicitly add support for an LED light bar." Where have I seen the light bar before? Oh right, on the Chromebook Pixel and Pixel C, two devices made by Google.

All of this comes on the back of Google's continued push to merge the ChromeOS and Android kernels, representing a tectonic shift for both platforms. Not to mention all of the progress we've seen with Desktop Mode on Android 16, letting you plug your phone into a monitor and being presented with an interface similar to what Samsung DeX has offered for years.

Based on the conversation between Osterloh and Amon, I don't think they were talking about a device that requires a phone for it to run (i.e. NexDock). It just feels like Google is gearing up for a massive release and something that could change the way we think about Android and ChromeOS forever.

Sorry Tensor, the Snapdragon is here

There's another interesting tidbit to throw into the mix here, and it's not something that I was expecting. In the past, I've suggested that Google should make a splash by releasing a new Pixelbook powered by its own Tensor SoC.

It sure seems as though that won't be the case, and instead could be powered by a Qualcomm chip. And seeing as the hardware is at the point that its being demoed, albeit privately, this suggests Google is closer than we thought to actually releasing a new piece of hardware to pair with its new OS venture.

If I were to guess, this would be powered by one of the Snapdragon X2 Elite processors, as opposed to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. This would give Qualcomm a way to respond to MediaTek's inclusion of the Kompanio Ultra found in the likes of the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 and more recently, the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514.

No matter what happens, it's clear that something big is on the way and that it's just a matter of "when" and not "if." That alone should be enough to get everyone excited about the future of ChromeOS and Android.

What you need to know

• Xiaomi announced its newest 17 series today (Sep 25), which launches first in China for its homeland consumers.
• The base 17 model mirrors the Xiaomi 15 with a squared camera array, rocking a 6.3-inch compact screen design.
• The Xiaomi 17 Pro series (17 Pro and 17 Pro Max) takes things further with the "Dynamic Back Display" featuring dynamic notifications, AI wallpapers, and custom watch faces.
• The 17 Pro starts at 4,999 Yuan (~$700), while the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max starts at 5,999 Yuan (~$840).

Xiaomi's all-new 17 series has launched today (Sep 25) in China, and the device is the first next-gen series to sport Qualcomm's new chip.

The Snapdragon Summit 2025 got underway this week, and the Xiaomi 17 series is wasting no time in saying it's the first to rock it. The Chinese OEM announced its newest series today via a press release, highlighting the new goods consumers will find domestically. Kicking off the series is the company's base Xiaomi 17, which mirrors the design consumers got with the Xiaomi 15. The newer phone sports a 6.3-inch compact design with rounded corners, flat sides, and a flat display.

With LIPO technology, Xiaomi states the base 17 can reach 3,500nits of peak brightness. The camera array—its look and design—almost makes one say it resembles Apple's iPhone a little. Either way, the Xiaomi 17's camera array features a 50MP primary lens with f/1.67 aperture (good for low-light situations).

Giving this device a major power boost is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

Its telephoto is reportedly bringing in a Leica 60mm "floating lens" design at f/2.0 aperture and 10cm close-up zoom.

Wrapping things up is a 7,000mAh battery for this compact phone. Xiaomi states this battery should excel with an extended battery lifespan and "excellent low-temperature endurance." Additionally, over the last series, the Xiaomi 17 features 100W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, and "compatibility with the 100W PPS universal charging protocol."

The base model features the following RAM/storage configs: 12/256GB, 12/512GB, and 16/512GB. The Xiaomi 17 starts at 4,499 Yuan (~$630).

There are three total devices in this new series, and that's where Xiaomi goes next: the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. The company is touting these two devices as the pinnacle of its recent innovations this year. Just like the base model, the Xiaomi 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. The Xiaomi 17 Pro features a 6.3-inch display. This display, just like the base model, utilizes an M10 Display Panel and SuperRED luminous material for efficiency and enhanced brightness.

However, the major advancement for it is the "Dynamic Back Display."

The Xiaomi 17 Pro

Incorporated with the phone's dual camera array on its rear panel is the 2.6-inch Dynamic Back Display. This display, which Xiaomi says will blend a dual-screen design for its smartphone, "enhances lifestyle and efficiency under various scenarios." This secondary display provides users with a customizable watch face, AI-generated wallpapers, "virtual pets," dynamic notifications, notes, and more.

Regarding those AI wallpapers, Xiaomi states users can lean on their photos for this feature. Real-time notifications on the Dynamic Back Display include flight alerts, train ticket alerts, delivery info for food orders, and more. More importantly, just like a foldable, this secondary screen can help users take photos, whether it's of other people or themselves.

Xiaomi draws attention to a special gaming case for the 17 Pro and Pro Max, which turns the models into a retro gaming console when the main display is off.

The Xiaomi 17 Pro features two 50MP lenses within this back display, with the main camera receiving f/1.67 aperture capabilities. Specifically for the 17 Pro, the post states consumers will find an inverted floating lens telephoto that supports up to 20cm macro shots. The Pro is reported to have a 6,300mAh battery with 100W wired and 50W wireless charging support.

The Pro Max goes a little further

The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, on the other hand, features a larger 6.9-inch display with the same M10 Display Panel and SuperRED luminous material. However, the press release notes that the Pro Max goes a bit further with Xiaomi Shield Glass 3.0, making it stronger/more durable. Like the 17 Pro, the 17 Pro Max's back display is 2.6 inches and supports AI wallpapers, customizable watch faces, dynamic notifications, and more.

While the Pro Max's 50MP primary lens mirrors the others, Xiaomi states it offers a powerful 5x periscope lens with hardware-level HDR support. Consumers in China will find a grander 7,500mAh battery in the 17 Pro Max, alongside 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.

The Xiaomi 17 Pro features the following RAM/stroage configs: 12/256GB, 12/512GB, 16/512GB, and 16/1TB. The 17 Pro starts at 4,999 Yuan (~$700).

The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max features 12/512GB, 16/512GB, and 16/1TB. This device begins at 5,999 Yuan (~$840). The 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max are available in black, white, purple, and green.

What you need to know

• Qualcomm has introduced the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which will power 2026 flagship smartphones.
• The 3nm chip features two prime cores clocked at 4.6GHz and six performance cores that reach up to 3.62GHz.
• The improved NPU promises advanced on-device agentic AI with less reliance on the cloud.
• The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 enables video recording with the Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec.

Qualcomm has introduced the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, built using Oryon cores. The chip is designed for high-performance flagship Android phones, with agentic AI and more powerful creator-focused capabilities in mind.

The new 3nm chip delivers a significant 20% boost to CPU performance, featuring two prime cores clocked at 4.6GHz and six performance cores optimized for lower-power tasks. By comparison, the last-gen Snapdragon 8 Elite features prime cores clocked at 4.32 GHz, while the Galaxy version of the chip can reach up to 4.47 GHz.

This is further enhanced by a faster Adreno GPU, which Qualcomm claims can deliver a 23% performance boost while consuming 20% less power, allowing you to get more out of your gaming experience while worrying less about your battery.

Perhaps the most significant focus for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is the Neural Processing Unit (NPU), which helps enable more advanced AI capabilities. Thanks to a 37% faster NPU, Qualcomm hopes to enable more on-device agentic AI features. This means your phone should be able to predict your behaviour and make recommendations based on context.

Think what Google is trying to do with Tensor on the Pixel 10 and features like Magic Cue, which surface useful, context-driven prompts throughout your apps. We could see this in more phones going forward.

"Through continuous on-device learning and real-time sensing, multimodal AI models understand the user, enabling proactive recommendations and situation-based prompt enhancements—with user data staying on device."

Qualcomm says built-in agentic capabilities will also allow AI assistants to act on your behalf based on your behaviour, preferences, and more, not unlike what we're seeing with Chrome. This is something Motorola also teased with its Large Action Model, so Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 should be able to make this happen. The best part is that this can happen with on-device AI processing, meaning less stress on your battery, and your information stays safe.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 offers native support for the Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec, enabling devices to record near-lossless video quality for more flexible editing. Devices can also take advantage of improved video capture, thanks to a computational video pipeline for context-aware adjustments to footage, as well as professional-level audio capture with Snapdragon Audio Sense.

Other supported specs include Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, UFS 4.1, and Quick Charge 5.

Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 will be featured in devices from Honor, iQOO, Nubia, OnePlus, OPPO, POCO, Realme, REDMI, RedMagic, ROG, Samsung, Sony, Vivo, Xiaomi, and ZTE. We can expect the first phones to launch very soon.

What you need to know

• Qualcomm has confirmed its next flagship chipset will be called Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, not Snapdragon 8 Elite 2.
• The new name reflects the fifth generation of Qualcomm's premium 8-series chips.
• The "Gen 5" label simplifies the roadmap, while "Elite" marks the highest tier in Snapdragon family.
• Xiaomi 17 series and Samsung Galaxy S26 are expected to debut with the new chip.

It's been almost a year since Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which means it's time for the next-generation flagship. While many wondered it would be called Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, since Qualcomm diverged from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 naming with the launch of the Snapdragon 8 Elite, the company has confirmed its next chip will be called Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

While it may look like Qualcomm is changing the naming scheme again, that isn't quite the case. In its press release, the company explained that while it may look like "we skipped generations," the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 name highlights the fact that this is the fifth generation of its premium 8-series platforms since it adopted the single-digit naming convention back in 2021.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite branding itself is still fairly new. Qualcomm says that the Snapdragon 8 Elite was introduced as a new tier in its flagship portfolio. It was the first processor with the Oryon CPU brought to smartphones, delivering "unprecedented performance gains" and hence "debuted as a standalone platform."

With Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the company says it wants to simplify how consumers understand its roadmap. The "Gen 5" label is meant to highlight the fifth generation of the 8-series since 2021, while the "Elite" name continues to represent the very highest level of performance available in the Snapdragon family.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 will be unveiled on September 23

Qualcomm also says Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is "part of a broader roadmap," with more upcoming mobile platforms expected to adopt the Gen 5 naming. Qualcomm is set to officially announce the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 at its Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii, which kicks off on September 23, 2025.

On a related note, Xiaomi has confirmed that its upcoming Xiaomi 17 series will be one of the first flagships powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, though no launch date has been shared just yet. We also expect the Samsung Galaxy S26 series to feature the new chipset.

What you need to know

• Quick Charge 5+, Qualcomm’s newest fast-charging tech, promises speed, cooler temps, and better efficiency.
• The new charging tech maintains blazing-fast charges from the previous iteration but fixes the heat issues that high-voltage systems often face.
• It tweaks voltage and current on the fly (up to 20V at 7A), keeping devices running fast without overheating or draining battery health.

Qualcomm today unveiled Quick Charge 5+, a new iteration of its long-running standard that promises faster, cooler, and more efficient power delivery without the usual compromises.

Quick Charge has been around for over a decade, juicing up everything from smartphones and laptops to VR headsets and wireless speakers. Back in 2020, Quick Charge 5 set the pace with over 100W of power, which was enough to take a device from zero to 50% in about five minutes.

Now, Qualcomm says Quick Charge 5+ maintains the same fast performance while directly addressing the heat issues common with high-voltage charging.

Smarter power delivery

The upgrade adjusts voltage and current on the go, using up to 20V at 7A to deliver power with less heat buildup. This means your device can stay at top speeds for longer without throttling or cooking your battery.

Qualcomm also claims this will help extend battery life and keep performance steady even during demanding tasks like gaming or streaming.

Efficiency is another big focus. Quick Charge 5+ identifies what kind of device it’s plugged into and optimizes power delivery, which not only wastes less energy but could also lower costs for manufacturers.

Compared to other solutions that crank up voltage just to hit big wattage numbers, the new iteration takes a more balanced approach that avoids unnecessary heat and inefficiency.

It plays well with others

Compatibility shouldn’t be an issue either. Quick Charge 5+ works with older Quick Charge gear (back to 2.0) and will play nice with upcoming devices set to debut at Snapdragon Summit 2025 later this month.

And you don’t need a Snapdragon-powered device to benefit, as it’s designed to match competitor chargers on non-Qualcomm hardware too. Accessories using the new standard are expected to start shipping later this year.

With Quick Charge 5+, Qualcomm wants to make fast charging more practical for real-world use. Cooler operation, smarter power handling, and broad compatibility could make this the go-to option for the next wave of phones and laptops.

What you need to know

• Rumors from a Chinese Weibo tipster state Qualcomm could swap its 2025 SoC name from the "Snapdragon 8 Elite 2" to the "Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5."
• There's speculation that this change could have something to do with another chip Qualcomm has in store, but users on Weibo find it strange.
• Earlier rumors claim the chip could debut toward the end of September, and the SoC might even see a strong power boost.

Rumors say that Qualcomm's next flagship chip could arrive sooner, but another wave claims it could even boast a slightly different name.

These rumors have continued to surface from Chinese Weibo tipster Digital Chat Station (DCS), who claims Qualcomm's next Elite might not be the "Elite 2" (via WccfTech). The tipster alleges that the company could go from the Snapdragon 8 Elite to the "Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5." This is a strange shift, if true, something that users on Weibo have started to joke about.

We've seen rumors about Qualcomm's next chip for a while, and the tipster states this name is for codename SM8850, which has been mentioned before for the 2nd generation Elite SoC.

The publication mentions that this odd name change could have something to do with Qualcomm's other chip in development, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. It seems the company is still moving ahead with such a chip; however, its performance is expected to be under the Elite. While this could be a move to bring more "series cohesion," it's a little strange.

One user on Weibo said, "When everyone was guessing whether it would be called 8e2 or 8gen5, Qualcomm chose 8egen5." We'll have to see whether or not this is true, which is a reality we might see sooner rather than later.

Either way, it'll be 'Elite'

Rumors about the Elite 2 (or Elite Gen 5) have been appearing since the spring, back when posts suggested Qualcomm would drop it sooner. Speculation said the company could reveal its 2025 flagship chip toward the end of September, rather than early in October. If true, that would mean that companies would begin releasing their 2025 flagships with the chip in early/mid-October.

Those initial rumors add that Qualcomm could boost the chip with "enhanced Pegasus cores," clocking out at 5GHz.

Subsequent rumors chimed in about the chip's power after it allegedly went through an early performance test. The Elite 2 reportedly achieved a single-core score of 4,000 points and a multi-core score of ~11,000. While nothing's confirmed, those alleged numbers clear the original Elite, so this next wave of phones (and consumers) might be happy.

What you need to know

• Qualcomm launches Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, a mid-range chip with some flagship-level gaming features.
• The chip offers a 7% boost over 7s Gen 3 with a 1+3+4 CPU setup built on a 4nm process.
• It supports on-device AI like Llama 1B and Qwen 1B, plus real-time translation tools.

Qualcomm is refreshing its mid-range chipset lineup with the launch of the new Snapdragon 7s Gen 4. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 arrived just a few months ago, but the new Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 sits a tier below, while still bringing high-end gaming features to the mid-range segment.

Compared to its predecessor, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 promises up to a 7% boost in both CPU and GPU performance. Qualcomm is using the same 1+3+4 CPU architecture, with one Prime core clocked up to 2.7GHz, three performance cores up to 2.3GHz, and four efficiency cores at 1.8GHz for background tasks.

The chipset is based on the 4nm process. While not the same as the 3nm node in the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite, it still manages to bring some Elite Gaming features to the mid-range segment.

Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 promises more power for budget-friendly smartphones

You get Snapdragon Game Super Resolution, which boosts in-game visuals while providing sustained performance, as well as Adaptive Performance Engine 3.0 that intelligently manages thermal and GPU load to provide the best gaming experience possible. It's worth noting that you don't get Adaptive Performance Engine 4.0, which is exclusive to the pricier Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 sibling.

For those confused about Qualcomm's naming scheme, the "s" variant is a toned-down model compared to the standard version. Hence, you see the older Adaptive Performance Engine 3.0 and slightly lower clock speeds on the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 compared to the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 launched in May 2025.

In terms of features, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 supports on-device AI with a range of LLMs and LVMs, including Llama 1B and Qwen 1B. Thanks to the Hexagon NPU, the chipset enables real-time translation and transcription. The NPU also helps with intelligent noise cancelation and background noise reduction.

Qualcomm hasn't yet revealed the first phones or partners that'll use the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 yet, but we expect new launches with this chipset soon.

This is Android Central's News Weekly, your go-to source for a concise roundup of the week's most significant tech stories. This is where we delve into the top headlines that provide the latest developments and innovations contributing to the digital landscape.

This week, Samsung confirms that its XR headset and trifold phone will launch this year, Meta's Q2 earnings soar, Qualcomm says Xiaomi will be the first to get its next Elite chipset, this Pixel 10 leak is as good as it gets, and Samsung could be mixing things up with its next Galaxy S26 lineup.

But before we get into the weeds of it, it's back-to-school season! So we've rounded up the best deals on laptops, tablets, and accessories to get you or your kid ready for a new year of learning. Check out our buying guides and avoid the last-minute rush

Samsung's trifold and XR Headset will launch this year

Read more here

Samsung announced its second-quarter earnings this week, and the Korean OEM seems to have made KRW 74.6 trillion (approximately $53.5 billion); however, the company's profits took a dip, with operating profit dropping to KRW 4.7 trillion ($3.37 billion). That’s a 55% decline compared to last quarter and almost the same year-over-year.

Samsung says the big reason behind the decline is the delay in shipping high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips to Nvidia, along with U.S. tariffs affecting chip sales to China. While that was some grim news for the company, things picked up mid-earnings call as the company essentially confirmed that it will launch the most awaited XR headset, its first trifold, and the Galaxy S25 FE later this year.

The company is “preparing to introduce next-generation innovative products, including our XR headset and tri-fold smartphone this year.”

Ran-Ban Meta smart glasses triple in sales and its earnings soar

Read more here

Meta reported its second-quarter earnings on Wednesday (July 30), and the company saw a 22% increase in its total revenue year over year, making $47.52 billion in Q2 alone. While Reality Labs still operates at a loss, on a more positive front, Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses sales more than tripled in Q2, with CFO Susan Li adding that the 5% year-over-year increase was "driven by increased sales of Ray-Ban Meta glasses, and partially offset by lower Quest headset sales".

Li said that Meta is ramping up production on these glasses to meet the demand later this year.

Post the earnings announcement, Meta's stocks jumped by approximately 10% as well. "We've had a strong quarter both in terms of our business and community," said Mark Zuckerberg, Meta founder and CEO, in the press release. "

Meta attributes these results to its digital advertising sector, which brought in $46.56 billion, representing approximately 98% of its total revenue. Zuckerberg said during the earnings call that this strong momentum in digital advertising was driven by AI.

Qualcomm's FY Q3 revenue hits $10.4 billion

Read more here

Along with Samsung and Meta, Qualcomm also announced its earnings this week. The company made $10.4 billion in revenue, up 10% from the same period last year. Qualcomm's QCT division, which consists of its chipset sales, is what mostly contributed to its revenue. Headset sales experienced modest growth to $6.32 billion, while automotive and IoT saw larger 21% and 24% growth, respectively.

"Another quarter of strong growth in QCT Automotive and IoT revenues further validates our diversification strategy and confidence in achieving our long-term revenue targets," said Amon in a statement on Wednesday.

Even Qualcomm didn't shy away from making a big announcement to its investors listening in. During the call, Amon highlighted that the company also extended its partnership with Xiaomi to power multiple generations of devices for the massive Chinese market.

They noted that Xiaomi will be "the first OEM to launch with our next Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, which comes out over the next couple of months."

This Pixel 10 leak is as good as its gets

Read more here

Prominent tipster Evan Blass seems to be at it again, considering we're closing in on the Pixel 10 series launch. This week, Blass posted a series of images on X, of the alleged Pixel 10 devices, the Pixel Watch 4, as well as the Pixel Buds 2a.

These official-looking images don't just show off the products but also share the supposed specs of the phones. The leak reconfirms that the baseline Pixel 10 will include a triple-camera setup featuring a 48MP primary sensor, a 13MP ultra-wide lens, and, for the first time, a telephoto lens with up to 20x Super Res Zoom. Meanwhile, the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL will retain their telephoto sensors but offer an upgraded "Pro Res Zoom" capability of up to 100x, among other things.

What's more interesting is that one of the images shows the alleged Pixel 10 connected to a magnetic charger snapped onto the back of a 10 device without a case, suggesting that the Pixel 10 series could be the first flagship Android phones to support MagSafe-like Qi2 magnetic charging natively.

That said, this isn't official until it comes from the source itself, which seems to be not too far away, as the official unveiling is just around the corner — Aug. 20.

Samsung could rejig its Galaxy S26 lineup

Read more here

A new deep dive into One UI 8's build revealed that Samsung could be giving up on the standard Galaxy S26 for a new Galaxy S26 Pro. This comes after rumors that Samsung could also replace the Plus variant with the all-new Edge, with some tweaks, hinting that the Korean OEM might be switching things up in a huge way.

Android Authority seems to have stumbled upon evidence for this line-up rebranding in the One UI 8 build, and the product codenames seemed to have indicated that there may not be a base or, as they say, vanilla variant for the Galaxy S26 series next year.

"Instead, Samsung’s upcoming flagship series appears to consist of three models: Galaxy S26 Pro, Galaxy S26 Edge, and Galaxy S26 Ultra," the website stated.

More stories this week

Those are some of the biggest stories from this week. Meanwhile, here are some other stories that are worth catching up on:

• Epic Games for Android will be available on Google Store following court ruling
• YouTube's AI to identify teens rolls out while rules revert for profanity early in videos
• Samsung puts a spotlight on the Galaxy Z Fold 7's long-awaited camera upgrades
• Samsung's new foldables get first update just days after launch
• Android users to finally get an extra layer of security on Chrome
• The Galaxy Z Fold 7 just broke every Z Fold preorder record ever set in the US
• Nothing ignites hype for Android 16 on the Phone 3 with Closed Beta signups
• Meta's camera smartwatch rumored for September reveal
• Pixel 10 series pricing leak might make you double-take at this one model
• Leaked glimpse at Pixel Watch 4's 'side-mounted' charging surfaces in renders

What you need to know

• Qualcomm announced it made $10.4 billion in revenue during the most recent quarter.
• Headset sales were up following partnerships with Samsung and Xiaomi to power their latest phones.
• Qualcomm will announce its next flagship Snapdragon chipset in September, ahead of the last calendar quarter of 2025.
• Xiaomi will be the first Android OEM to launch a device powered by the upcoming chipset.

Qualcomm announced its financial earnings for the third quarter of its fiscal year (or the second quarter of the calendar year). The company managed to just hit double-digit growth with $10.4 billion in revenue, up 10% from the same period last year.

Qualcomm's QCT division, which consists of its chipset sales and makes up the bulk of its revenue, saw headset sales experience modest growth to $6.32 billion. Meanwhile, automotive and IoT saw larger 21% and 24% growth, respectively, thanks to the company's push for AI processing, as noted by Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon.

"Another quarter of strong growth in QCT Automotive and IoT revenues further validates our diversification strategy and confidence in achieving our long-term revenue targets," said Amon in a statement on Wednesday.

"Our leadership in AI processing, high-performance and low-power computing, and advanced connectivity positions us to become the industry platform of choice as AI gains scale at the edge."

During the call, Amon highlighted its partnership with leading Android OEMs such as Samsung and Xiaomi, with 124 smartphone designs shipped or announced powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset earlier this year.

The company also extended its partnership with Xiaomi to power multiple generations of devices for the massive Chinese market. It noted that Xiaomi will be "the first OEM to launch with our next Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, which comes out over the next couple of months." This isn't a huge surprise, as Xiaomi is often among the first to announce a new phone with the latest Snapdragon chipset.

Furthermore, Amon stated how the current Snapdragon 8 Elite will "set the pace" for AI performance, such as with Galaxy AI on Samsung phones.

"For example, Samsung noted that 70% of Galaxy S25 users are utilizing Galaxy AI, and usage of Google Gemini AI has nearly tripled among S25 users compared to the S24," he said during the call. "Looking ahead, we expect the range of on-device agentic AI use cases will continue to expand and reshape the mobile industry."

Beyond smartphones, Qualcomm also highlighted other devices, such as XR and wearables. The company is powering as many as 19 designs for smart glasses, and noted how demand for the Meta smart glasses has continued to increase as the new Oakley HSTN smart glasses hit store shelves.

Looking forward, Qualcomm is preparing to launch its next flagship chipset, tentatively called the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2, at the end of September during its Snapdragon Summit, and the company appears very excited by it, as noted by Akash Palkhiwala, Qualcomm's chief financial officer.

"As I mentioned in my prepared remarks, we're going to announce our new chip at the end of September, and we are already working with several OEMs for [the] launch of new devices based on a tremendous interest in it. And what you are seeing is really people getting ready for [the] launch of new devices."

What you need to know

• A report claims that Qualcomm is in the "early testing" stage of a new Wear OS chip, codenamed "Aspen."
• This chip is reportedly "all-new" and could feature a 1+4 core setup based on a TSCMC node, and with a RAM controller upgrade to the benefit of its battery life.
• An interview between Android Central and Qualcomm spoke about its future Wear OS chip, and it seems the company wants to lean into RISC-V or Oryon cores, but more work is needed.

Ending the week are rumors about a future Snapdragon chip from Qualcomm that's looking to considerably boost Wear OS devices.

This report comes from Android Authority, who claim they've observed "credible evidence" about an all-new Wear OS-bound chip from Qualcomm. According to the post, the chip has received the codename "Aspen," it's known as "SW6100" internally for Qualcomm, and it's "testing phase." At the moment, the publication claims the chip is preparing a noticeable CPU upgrade, courtesy of a 1+4 core setup.

This core setup reportedly features one Arm Cortex-A78 alongside four Arm Cortex-A55 cores. Despite these cores being roughly a year old, speculation suggests this CPU upgrade could benefit the chip's "efficiency and performance."

Other alleged specs include the use of a TSMC node and a RAM controller upgrade. The chip will reportedly support LPDDR5X for a slight "battery life boost." There have also been whispers about a new coprocessor; however, the publication states concrete information about that hardware is still in the dark.

Rumors add that this Qualcomm chip for future Wear OS devices could debut sometime in 2026.

Take a step back into 2024

Here's where things get interesting. Android Central's Michael Hicks sat down with Qualcomm's VP & GM of Wearables, Dino Bekis, about the future of the company's Wear OS chips after previous disappointments. While Bekis stated the "next" chip would be more "feature-focused" for Wear OS devices, with AI and PC-like additions, it might need a little more time in the oven. Bekis mentions that Qualcomm was still working with Google to figure out its RISC-V cores.

Moreover, the company has thought about using its Oryon cores in this wearable chip (the same ones that power its flagship phone SoC), but there's no telling if this recently rumored chip is that chip.

These were all things talked about in 2024, and it seems we're still floating around the same bits of information. As Android Authority also speculates, this chip could be called the Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 or, perhaps, something else, when it debuts.

The last chips to come from Qualcomm for wearables were the Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 and W5 Plus Gen 1. While they generally fixed some of the issues plaguing the Wear OS market, the chips provided a ~50% battery life boost based on a 4nm process. Considering the recent rumors, perhaps we'll see this improve to a 3nm process for the next iteration.

• Smartwatch deals: Best Buy | Walmart | Amazon | Samsung | Dell

The introduction of Snapdragon 8 Elite was a pivotal moment in Qualcomm's history, as it saw the return of custom CPU cores after a decade. Combined with the node shift to 3nm, the 8 Elite delivered massive gains across the board, and it continues to be one of the fastest mobile platforms available today.

Qualcomm isn't sitting idly by either — the successor to the Snapdragon 8 Elite is now available, and it is dubbed the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Awkward naming aside, the new chipset delivers sizeable gains across the board, and it aims to solidify Qualcomm's position in this category.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: CPU

Qualcomm went back to using custom cores with the Snapdragon 8 Elite, and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 builds on this foundation. It uses a similar configuration that sees two performance cores, but they're now clocked at 4.6GHz. They're joined by six efficiency cores that go up to 3.6GHz.

Although the 8 Elite Gen 5 is also built on a 3nm node — it uses TSMC's 3NP node — Qualcomm is able to deliver huge performance gains. In synthetic benchmarks of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, you get up to a 25% increase in single-core workloads, and up to 20% in multi-core scenarios.

The chipset scored 3,832 in Geekbench's single-core workload, going over 12,000 in the multi-core test. To put that into context, the maximum I got in Geekbench with the Snapdragon 8 Elite is 3,190 in single-core and 9,957 in multi-core results.

Of course, these results were on a Qualcomm reference device, and while real-world usage may not lead to scores that are as high, it's clear that the latest platform is able to deliver exciting gains.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: Gaming

The Snapdragon 8 Elite is a gaming powerhouse, and it has a significantly higher overhead when it comes to playing demanding titles. I didn't see any issues getting stable framerates even with all the settings turned up, and if anything, the gaming ecosystem on Android is the bottleneck — we need console-quality titles like iOS.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 continues this momentum, delivering heady gains to the tune of 20% in 3DMark. Essentially, this is now the fastest mobile SoC when it comes to gaming, and I'm excited to see what gaming-focused devices based on the platform will be able to achieve.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: Hardware

Qualcomm is touting several new features on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. The platform gets Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec integration, allowing lossless video with a high bitrate.

The Hexagon NPU is over 35% faster, and Qualcomm says it enables agentic AI use cases. With most phone manufacturers heavily pushing AI in their devices, this is likely to be a huge deal in real-world use.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: Availability

We don't need to wait as long to get devices based on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. The Xiaomi 17 series has already launched in China, and the OnePlus 15 is similarly available in the country. With iQOO, Realme, Honor, and other manufacturers set to launch global devices based on the chipset, it's just a few weeks before we see how the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in real-world use.

What you need to know

• Rumors from a Weibo tipster claim Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 has undergone a performance test, and its results may indicate a power boost.
• The next Elite SoC supposedly achieved a single-core score of over 4,000 points and over 11,000 points in its multi-core test, clearing the O.G. chip.
• Early Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 rumors suggest the chip could arrive earlier this year, toward the end of September, and with a 5.0GHz Prime core.

It's easy to expect what's next from Qualcomm's flagship SoC department; however, a recent leak highlights its early test results.

Supposedly, a post by well-known Weibo tipster Digital Chat Station (DCS) suggests Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 has received a power boost (via SamMobile). This assumption stems from an alleged performance test by the new SoC, likely from Geekbench 6. DCS states the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, marked with model number SM8850, scored over 4,000 points in its single-core test.

Regarding its multi-core run, the SoC reportedly achieved over 11,000 points, smashing the first iteration's 3,100 (single-core) and 9,800 (multi-core) score results.

The tipster didn't leave out the chip's GPU (graphics) partner. The chip could see the Adreno 840 GPU, which was also tipped to provide "very high" performance.

The Next Generation of Flagships are Coming

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite brought immense power boosts to flagships this year (and late 2024) due to its Oryon CPU cores. We're eagerly awaiting what's next, and a rumor from April says the next version might drop sooner. It's been reported that the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 could launch toward the end of September, which bumps things up a few weeks from the original's October 2024 debut.

Specific details about the chip's specs weren't stated; however, there was speculation that it could achieve 5GHz speeds for its main core. Moreover, we're seeing the Adreno 840 GPU rumor once again, two months later.

While DCS claims the chip's "second-generation" Oryon CPU cores are putting in overtime in its latest test, there were rumors that Qualcomm could bring "enhanced Pegasus" cores to the 8 Elite 2.

Pricing could be a concern, like it was with the first model, but there's also Qualcomm's potential core architecture. The first Snapdragon 8 Elite launched with two Prime cores and six performance cores. We'll have to wait and see if Qualcomm keeps things similar or not.

What you need to know

• Xiaomi and Qualcomm will continue to collaborate, building on their 15 long years of partnership.
• This means Xiaomi will continue to feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 series in its flagship smartphones.
• The collaboration extends beyond smartphones, as it also comprises a wider range of Xiaomi's product ecosystem, such as AR/VR glasses, wearables, tablets, smart home devices, and electric vehicles.

Xiaomi has always been at the forefront when it comes to adopting Qualcomm’s latest and greatest chips across its products. The partnership is further expanding as both companies have announced a multi-year agreement.

Similar to every year, Xiaomi will again be one of the first to adopt the next-generation flagship Snapdragon 8 series for its premium smartphones later this year, both for China and global markets, as both brands announced in a shared press release.

It is important to note that these companies plan to collaborate with each other like they have been for the past 15 years, and Xiaomi will be launching premium smartphones powered by the Snapdragon 8 series for multiple generations, with “volume increasing each year of the agreement.”

"Qualcomm Technologies has always been one of Xiaomi’s most trusted and vital partners, supporting our journey from a startup to a global technology leader. We look forward to continuing the next 15 years of our collaboration and leveraging Qualcomm Technologies’ cutting-edge Snapdragon® platforms and technologies to deliver even more innovative and high-quality products to our customers worldwide,” said Lei Jun, CEO of Xiaomi.

Going forward, Xiaomi and the chipset maker will work in collaboration to launch not just smartphones but also AR/VR glasses, wearables, tablets, and several others.

“We value the relationship we have built resulting from 15 years of close collaboration and are excited to continue this journey for many years to come, with Snapdragon platforms powering Xiaomi’s premium smartphones. We look forward to expanding our work together in automotive, smart home products, wearables, AR/VR glasses, tablets, and more, ” said Cristiano Amon, president and CEO of Qualcomm.

For the unaware, Xiaomi first partnered with Qualcomm back in 2011, almost 15 years ago, with the launch of its Mi 1. And for the past decade, every flagship from Xiaomi has been comprising the premium Qualcomm chipset, including the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, which was one of the first handsets to feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. And this trend is set to continue in the future according to the company's presser.

Xiaomi has incorporated Qualcomm platforms like the Snapdragon Cockpit platform for its SU7 — the first vehicle launched by the company in 2023. The vehicle also includes Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Auto 5G Modem-RF solution for better processing and precise positioning.

Furthermore, Xiaomi’s smart home products have been incorporating the chipset maker’s Wi-Fi solutions, including the latest Wi-Fi standards. Wearables from the company, like the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro, are also powered by Snapdragon S7 and S7 Plus Gen 1 sound platforms, while the Watch 2 Pro is equipped with the Snapdragon W5 Plus Gen 1 wearable platform.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Qualcomm and Xiaomi had extended their partnership for the next 15 years. Qualcomm did not specify a timeline for the agreement, and the article has been updated to reflect the same.

• Phone deals: Best Buy | Walmart | Samsung | Amazon | Verizon | AT&T

What you need to know

• Qualcomm announced at the Computex 2025 keynote, that its Snapdragon Summit is set to take place in September.
• The two-day summit will be held between Sept. 23-25 in Hawaii.
• While the company didn't confirm what could come from this summit, it is rumored that we'll be seeing the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2.

Qualcomm seems to have put some chatter to rest after it announced at Computex 2025 that the next Snapdragon Summit will take place this September. It will be a two-day summit held between Sept. 23 and 25 in Hawaii (first reported by Notebook Check).

According to the publication, "there's a good chance we could see the next-gen Snapdragon X Elite 2 (or Snapdragon X2 Elite) laptop chips debut here."

Several rumors that we saw around April this year also indicated that Qualcomm is working on a "Snapdragon 8 Elite 2," and its reveal could occur earlier toward the end of September.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 is expected to be more potent than the first-generation chipset. The website adds that it will keep its 6 + 2 CPU configuration and use an Adreno GPU that is up to 30% faster and has a 26% higher AnTuTu score.

It is important to note that despite having a rumored same "internal schedule" to launch the chip, the second-gen Elite is expected to show up a month earlier than its predecessor, which was launched in October last year.

Other rumors have indicated that the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 could achieve 5GHz speeds for its main core and is tipped to come with Qualcomm's "enhanced Pegasus cores." The chip may come paired with the Adreno 840 GPU for a strong gaming experience, as well as LPDDR6 RAM support.

Smartphones powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 are expected to launch in October 2025. These phones include the Xiaomi 16, OnePlus 15, Realme GT8 Pro, and many others.

Lastly, the website also notes that Samsung might not use the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 since Qualcomm will allegedly make a chip specifically for the Galaxy, like it did for the Galaxy S25 series. Which means that the Galaxy S26 series could show up with the Exynos 2600 SoC, and previous rumors have indicated that this chip has been pushed into mass production.

What you need to know

• Qualcomm's latest midrange chip, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, is here with improved AI and processing capabilities.
• The Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 mobile platform is a 4nm processor with the latest connectivity specifications, like Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0.
• This processor will first launch on phones from Honor and Vivo this month.

Qualcomm is upgrading its midrange chip offerings with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, a processor with improved AI performance, better image-signal processing, and support for newer connectivity standards. The chipset will first launch in Honor and Vivo midrangers expected to be announced this month, Qualcomm announced in a press release today, May 15.

The last refresh of the Snapdragon 7 series arrived with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, announced in November 2023. That's the processor the new Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 replaces, and the time between releases allowed Qualcomm to deliver a handful of key improvements. Compared to the prior generation, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 performs 27% better in CPU performance, 30% better in GPU performance, and 65% better in AI performance.

The Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 mobile platform uses the Qualcomm Hexagon NPU with dedicated NPUs for audio and sensors. The drastically improved AI performance utilizes the Qualcomm AI Engine for on-device processing, with deep integration throughout the system-on-a-chip. That includes everything from Snapdragon Sound audio to image-signal processing. On top of that, the chip adds Qualcomm Expanded Personal Area Network (XPAN) support for audio listening for the first time.

Qualcomm is still using a 4nm fabrication process for the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, the same as the prior generation. However, the newer chipset has a revamped configuration, with one Prime core with a faster 2.8GHz clock speed, four performance cores clocked at up to 2.4GHz, and three efficiency cores clocked at up to 1.8GHz. Compared to the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor, the latest version has a higher-clocked Prime core and an extra performance, with one fewer efficiency core.

Rounding out the chip's upgrades are connectivity improvements across the board, with 3GPP Release 17 5G support, Wi-Fi 7 support, and Bluetooth 6.0 support. That can result in peak W-Fi speeds of up to 5.8 Gbps, up from 2.9 Gbps on the Wi-Fi 6E-only Snapdragon 7 Gen 3.

Qualcomm's partner OEMs praised the new chipset in a press release, teasing the upcoming products that the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chip will power.

"This powerful platform will enable us to deliver unparalleled performance and cutting-edge features, elevating our users’ mobile experiences in their daily lives," said Fei Fang, who is the president of products at Honor. "We are excited to collaborate closely with Qualcomm Technologies and integrate the new Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 mobile platform into our upcoming commercial device."

Unconfirmed leaks have claimed that the Honor 400 and the Vivo S30 could be the first phones to sport Qualcomm's new midrange mobile platform. The Honor 400 series is launching on May 22.

"Today, we are thrilled to announce that our upcoming smartphone will be powered by the next-generation Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 mobile platform, designed to immerse users in innovative and efficient mobile experiences," said Weifeng Ouyang, who is the vice president of product at Vivo.

The first devices to feature the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chip are expected to be officially announced this month, so stay tuned.

What you need to know

• Qualcomm saw a great second quarter with its revenue up by 15%, totalling 10.8 billion.
• QCT's revenue was up by a massive 18% YoY, totalling $9.5 billion, which was specifically driven by growth in handsets, automotive, and IoT.
• Qualcomm expects to make somewhere between $9.9 billion and $10.7 billion in the next quarter.
• "We do not see any material direct impact on us at this point," Qualcomm said, speaking about the volatile global trade environment

Chipmaker Qualcomm announced its Q2 fiscal year earnings today (April 30), where it exceeded Wall Street expectations by reporting a total revenue of 10.8 billion, which is up 15%, when compared to the same period last quarter.

"We are pleased to report another quarter of strong results,” said Cristiano Amon, president and CEO of Qualcomm Incorporated. During the earnings call, the company stated that QCT (Qualcomm CDMA Technologies)'s revenue was up by a massive 18% YoY, totalling $9.5 billion. This was specifically driven by growth in handsets, automotive, and IoT.

Speaking of Automotive and IoT, the company stated that the revenues for both rose by 59% and 27% year over year, respectively. With automatives covering $959 million and IoT seeing $1.58 billion in revenue.

As for handsets, the chipmaker saw a total revenue of $6.9 billion, a 12% increase year-over-year. The company says its new and powerful chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, continues to gain traction on smartphones.

"We have 90 flagship designs shipped or announced globally across major Android OEMs," the company added. This includes the latest Motorola Razr 2025 series as well.

During the earnings call, Qualcomm also stated that the ever-changing AI landscape seems to be working in their favor. The company is optimistic about the growth of AI in smartphones and aims to increase its non-handset revenues to $22 billion by fiscal year 2029.

It also announced that Android's upcoming XR headset will be powered by Snapdragon, without revealing too much about the specs of the chipset, and said that the company is on its way to achieving $2 billion in XR revenues by fiscal year 29.

Looking ahead, Qualcomm expects to make somewhere between $9.9 billion and $10.7 billion in the next three months. For QLT revenues, Qualcomm expects it to remain the same as last year, which is somewhere between $1.15 billion and $1.35 billion.

As for the QCD earnings, which include chips for phones, cars, and other products, it is expected to make between $8.7 billion and $9.3 billion, which is 12% higher than what they made in the same period last year.

Qualcomm's leadership did touch upon how President Trump's tariffs and the overall trade environment, but remained optimistic stating that, "we do not see any material direct impact to us at this point, the landscape, obviously, is dynamic, so we're closely monitoring but we're very focused on things we control, and very focused on supporting our customers as well."

What you need to know

• Rumors suggest Qualcomm is working on a "Snapdragon 8 Elite 2" and its reveal could occur earlier toward the end of September.
• Companies could also look to launch smartphones with the chip in October, potentially early in the month.
• The Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 is rumored to rock heavy-hitting "enhanced Pegasus cores" with 5GHz clock speeds.

The next generation of phones is always a hot topic, and new rumors claim those devices could pop up sooner than before.

There's speculation that Qualcomm could reveal its next flagship SoC even sooner in 2025, which would mean an earlier Summit. These rumors stem from Digital Chat Station (DCS) on Weibo (via SamMobile). According to the tipster, Qualcomm is supposedly preparing to debut a "Snapdragon 8 Elite 2" at the end of September.

The post adds that the company's "internal schedule" has remained "the same."

Additionally, the tipster claims smartphone OEMs will "basically release" the first batch of phones with the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 "in October." While the Weibo post didn't offer any insight into potential specs, SamMobile chimed in with some rumors. The Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 could achieve 5GHz speeds for its main core.

The publication states this is tipped to come off the back of Qualcomm's "enhanced Pegasus cores." The chip may come paired with the Adreno 840 GPU for a strong gaming experience, as well as LPDDR6 RAM support.

Qualcomm's moving fast

The alleged timeline change might only bump things up by a few weeks. Qualcomm held its Summit in Hawaii last year from October 21 to October 23. With the current rumors, perhaps we're looking at a potential Summit date during the week of September 22. That might also (if we consider the rumors) push smartphone makers to deploy their newest Snapdragon 8 Elite 2-ready devices in the first couple of weeks of October.

We can use Xiaomi's 2024 Summit announcement as an example. The Chinese OEM stated its devices would "be the first" to use the original Elite globally. A week later, the phones launched in China; however, their global debut wouldn't happen for a while. The main takeaway is that Xiaomi's launch occurred one week after Qualcomm's Summit.

There's a chance history could repeat itself, but just a little faster this time.

It's also worth remembering that the Snapdragon 8 Elite launched with two prime cores, clocking out at 4.32GHz. This pair was complemented by six 3.53GHz performance cores. Rumors currently claim Qualcomm could increase its heavy-hitters by ~0.7GHz for even stronger performance. It remains to be seen if price hike worries come around again, like they did with the first.

• Phone deals: Best Buy | Walmart | Samsung | Amazon | Verizon | AT&T

Remember a few weeks ago, when I said that I was worried about the slow and painful demise of ChromeOS? Yeah, let's just pretend that never happened. Since then, we've seen new Chromebooks from both Acer and ASUS, and there's more on the way.

Robby over at ChromeUnboxed is a master when it comes to digging through the Chromium Repositories. The latest discovery was a commit that brings "initial support for Qualcomm X1P42100 SoC," which is just the codename for the Snapdragon X Plus chip.

Before I get too ahead of myself, this isn't confirmation that such a Chromebook will ever actually see the light of day. We've seen it countless times where a device almost makes it to the finish line, only to fall just short and basically disappear. However, I'm really (and I mean REALLY) hoping that isn't the case here.

The commit message doesn't really say anything else, so there's no indication of what a ChromeOS Snapdragon X Plus device looks like. All we really know and care about, for the moment, is that the work and development are underway.

It's not like this is the first time we're seeing a new ARM chip make its way to the platform. Recently, MediaTek announced its Kompanio Ultra processor, specifically geared towards the best Chromebooks. It offers almost 20% faster CPU performance, while consuming "up to 50% less power" than the competition. As a result, MediaTek claims it's able to offer up to 20 hours of battery life on a single charge.

This is what makes the idea of an ARM-powered Chromebook so intriguing: a device that is as powerful as its Windows counterparts, with a battery that lasts all day. Plus, these ARM-powered laptops are much smaller and lighter than "traditional" offerings, making them ideal for school and travel.

Up to this point, we've been seeing MediaTek inch more and more into the Chromebook space, with a smattering of Intel, and the occasional Snapdragon 7c from Qualcomm. Notably, the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 11 is powered by the Kompanio 828 and performs admirably, but the truth is that it could be better.

Provided that Google doesn't end up changing its mind, we could eventually have the ChromeOS equivalent of the Surface Pro 11 or Surface Laptop 7. And hey, here's an idea: Google should dust off the Pixelbook 2 it shelved back in 2022, and release it with the Snapdragon X Plus at the helm.

For the sake of not diving down that rabbit hole again, there are a couple of other factors to consider. First, we might not actually ever see a mass-produced Snapdragon X Plus Chromebook released. It's entirely possible that Google is using the X Plus as a development base, in anticipation of the Snapdragon X chip that Qualcomm announced at CES 2025.

Why would this be the case? Money. You can't find a Snapdragon X Plus device for less than $700, at least without scouring through the second-hand market. Google and its partners have also shied away from releasing Chromebooks that cost more than $700, with the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus and Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 hovering right around there.

So, before you get too excited, temper your expectations because I don't think we're going to see a Snapdragon X Elite Chromebook. However, utilizing the Snapdragon X Plus lets Google work out any potential kinks with the platform before it makes its way into any devices.

• Chromebook Deals: Walmart | Best Buy | Lenovo | HP| Amazon

Over the past few years, I've written about how Chromebooks are the perfect devices for Arm processors. No, I'm not talking about the ones that we already have, I'm talking about the ones that are found in a lot of fantastic Windows laptops. Which includes Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite, which debuted in late 2023.

I was hopeful that, eventually, Chromebook makers would get around to at least offering something with a flagship Arm SoC; as it turns out, we are, just not from Qualcomm. Instead, MediaTek is swooping in with its recent announcement of the Kompanio Ultra, designed specifically "for the next generation of Chromebook Plus devices."

There are a couple of big selling points for processors using this architecture, as opposed to x86. Having a Chromebook that is both powerful and battery-efficient is pretty much the dream. As it currently stands, you can pick one or the other, but very few of the best Chromebooks manage to achieve both.

What matters most

Meanwhile, Arm-powered laptops are usually lighter and more compact, making them perfect for students. This is partially why Lenovo's Chromebook Duet line remains a fan favorite. It's compact and powerful (enough) while also being pretty affordable compared to other tablets and laptops.

While I love the Duet, especially the Duet 11, it still doesn't scratch the itch for me in the same way that my Surface Pro 11 does. To be clear, these are not competitors in anything other than form factor, as the Surface starts at $999 for the base model Snapdragon X Plus or $1,499 for the X Elite. Meanwhile, the Duet 11 retails for $399 in its base configuration, which happens to include a keyboard folio cover and a stylus, two things you'll have to pay extra for with the Surface.

That being said, when introducing the Kompanio Ultra, MediaTek hit all of the important talking points for someone who wants a powerful and efficient device. Battery life is rated for up to 20 hours on a single charge, thanks in part to it consuming up to "50% less power vs. competition."

The Ultra even supports LPDDR5X memory, is built on a 3nm process, and features an "all-big-core CPU structure." As a result, MediaTek claims the Ultra will provide "up to 18% faster CPU performance" while making it possible to play the best Android games at a stable 60fps. Oh, and for you AI enthusiasts, the Ultra's NPU 890 has you covered with its 50 TOPS NPU for "greater on-device generative AI processes."

Chromebook Plus expansion

So far, it seems that MediaTek absolutely nailed it, and now we just have to wait for new Chromebooks to arrive. This leads me to something that's arguably just as important as getting flagship Arm chips, and that's an expansion to the Chromebook Plus requirements.

This part of the announcement kind of flew under the radar and wasn't even something that I immediately noticed when going through the press materials. Until now, Chromebook Plus models have been required to rely on either an Intel Core i3 12th Gen or higher or an AMD Ryzen 3 5000 series or higher.

Which has left some very good options from receiving the Chromebook Plus branding on the lid. This includes the Chromebook Duet 11, which technically meets all of Google's requirements except for the Kompanio 838 processor. As such, the Duet 11 is just a Chromebook and not a "Plus."

Time for a refresh

This is huge, as it could spawn a wave of new and exciting Chromebooks, all powered by MediaTek. I don't want to put the cart before the horse just yet, but so far, things are looking promising. I just still can't help but wonder why Qualcomm stood by and did nothing, only to let MediaTek reap the rewards.

Funnily enough, maybe the here existence of this article will result in Qualcomm announcing a new chip for Chromebooks in the coming weeks. Hey, apparently, it worked after I wrote about whether we were witnessing a slow death for Chromebooks, so it could work for Qualcomm, too, right?

What you need to know

• Qualcomm announced its new mobile platform, Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 bringing premium performance and features to mid-range flagship phones.
• The new chip features a Kryo CPU and newly sliced Qualcomm Adreno GPU architecture, delivering improved performance and 3.2 GHz peak speeds.
• The new chip comes packed with 31% improved CPU performance and 39% better power efficiency compared to the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3.

Qualcomm has announced the launch of its new Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 mobile platform today (April 2). This new chip is said to improve the performance of mid-tier flagship phones compared to the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. It is specifically designed for smartphones that focus on gaming compared to the other features on the phone.

According to the chip maker's press release, the new chip features Kryo cores instead of Oryon like in the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. It sports a 1+3+2+2 core configuration that claims to clock speeds at up to 3.2 GHz, which is higher than its predecessor (3.0 GHz).

Regarding the changes in its GPU, the SD 8s Gen 4 is equipped with an Adreno 825 GPU, which increases the chip's performance by 49% compared to the 8s Gen 3 (features in phones like the Motorola Razr Plus 2024). This enables real-time accelerated ray tracing and global illumination, delivering improved lighting, shadows, and reflections during gameplay.

The chip is said to bring with it some of Snapdragon's elite gaming experience, "including the Qualcomm Adaptive Performance Engine and Adreno Frame Motion Engine 2.0." This will, in turn, improve the user's gaming sessions without using up a lot of the device's power.

Qualcomm has made significant changes to the chip's Neural Processing Unit (NPU), and its "Qualcomm AI Engine" is said to improve AI performance by 44%. This enables the chip to easily process and run multi-modal Gen AI models, much like Google's Gemini or ChatGPT within the phone. The chip gets 2x larger shared memory that speeds up the user's interaction with LLMs or LVMs.

This Hexagon NPU also has the intelligence to snap better pictures automatically and is now enhanced to support a 320 MP single-camera sensor, significantly higher than the 200MP on the SD 8s Gen 3.

Higher sensor support comes with better photography, including better object recognition of up to 250 different things in a single 4K image, and helps capture photos that naturally color-correct the image based on the lighting around them. Additionally, this chip will also support better nighttime photography, with Night Vision 2.0 recording ultra-low light videos at a smooth 4K30 FPS.

Other notable features of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 include uninterrupted entertainment with the Snapdragon Sound Technology Suite, featuring Qualcomm aptX Audio for lossless CD-quality music, and Qualcomm's eXpanded Personal Area Network (XPAN) technology, which "keeps earbuds and headphones connected via Wi-Fi" for uninterrupted audio during intense game sessions.

Lastly, when it comes to connectivity, the chip gets the same Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF as the SD 8s Gen 3, which is said to increase download speeds up to 4.2Gbps on any 5G network and also works on conserving the device's battery when connected to it. It comes with support for Wi-Fi 7 at up to 5.8Gbps and Bluetooth 6.

According to GSM Arena, this chip is expected to debut on the iQOO Z10 Turbo and more devices from Xiaomi, Oppo, Meizu, and more.

Qualcomm is nearing a big decision. It's reportedly gearing up to release a new, midrange Snapdragon chip. While this "budget" SoC is rumored to be powered by Arm cores — not the custom Oryon cores powering other Elite chips — it's unclear whether the company will still use "Elite" branding. We've seen reports use both Snapdragon 8s Elite and Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 to refer to the unannounced mobile chip.

The problem? The custom Oryon CPU cores are what make Snapdragon 8 Elite chips, well, "elite." Let's review how we got here.

The switch from Arm to Oryon

Last year, Qualcomm finally achieved its breakthrough moment. It launched the Snapdragon X lineup of laptop and desktop-class systems-on-a-chip (SoCs) in June 2024 that would eventually disrupt the stronghold competitors AMD and Intel had on personal computing. Then, Qualcomm used what it learned to develop the Snapdragon X platform and brought it to mobile with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset.

By now, I've had the chance to review and test multiple Snapdragon X and Snapdragon 8 Elite laptops and phones, respectively. They're both as good as advertised. Snapdragon X brought excellent power efficiency and responsiveness to Windows laptops, and Snapdragon 8 Elite brought massive year-over-year performance improvements to Android smartphones.

Oryon cores are the secret to Qualcomm's major success. The company used its own custom Oryon cores instead of off-the-shelf designs from Arm to make the Snapdragon X, Snapdragon X Plus, and Snapdragon X Elite SoCs. Essentially, it followed the same blueprint Apple used when designing its own silicon.

A quick look at Qualcomm's PC processors reveals that chips with Oryon cores don't always use the Elite brand. That's reserved for Qualcomm's best PC chips, while budget versions with slower clock speeds and/or fewer cores use names like Snapdragon X and Snapdragon X Plus.

But we've never seen a Qualcomm chip branded with the Elite tag that doesn't use custom Oryon cores. Although there are conflicting reports about whether the next Snapdragon 8s mobile processor will get a "Gen 4" or "Elite" brand name, the right option seems clear.

Qualcomm should name the unreleased midrange chip Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 to avoid consumer confusion and keep the Elite brand sacred for the company's standout processors — those with Oryon cores.

What will Qualcomm's next midrange chip be called?

Right now, there's no official word on what Qualcomm will call the next Snapdragon 8s chip. One rumor from reputable leaker Yogesh Brar on X (formerly Twitter) earlier this month said that the SoC was "set to launch soon," referring to it as Snapdragon 8s Elite. More recently, a tip from Digital Chat Station this week on Weibo called the unreleased chip the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4.

Although both rumored names are only speculation at this point, one seems more fitting than the other.

That's because current leaks claim to reveal the upcoming Snapdragon 8s chip's core structure, and custom Oryon cores are absent. According to Digital Chat Station, this processor has a model number of SN8735. It is said to be headlined by a 3.21GHz Cortex-X4 Prime Core, plus three more 3.01GHz Cortex-A720 cores and two 2.80GHz Cortex-A720 cores. The SoC is also expected to include two 2.02GHz Cortex-A720 efficiency cores.

If this configuration turns out to be accurate, the Snapdragon 8s chip will use standard Arm designs rather than Qualcomm's best Oryon cores. This isn't a bad thing, because the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip is expensive, and the "s" variant is supposed to be cheaper. However, it does mean that the Elite branding wouldn't exactly make sense for this particular SoC.

Qualcomm is rumored to make the right move

Qualcomm is a very large company operating in many different verticals, from cellular modems to smartphone and desktop chips. Under those circumstances, it's easy for naming schemes to get convoluted. Just look at what Intel and Sony have done over the years, releasing products like the Intel Core i9 14900K or the Sony WH-1000XM5.

Luckily, Qualcomm seems to be aware of how important branding is for consumer clarity. At MWC Barcelona 2025, it introduced a new naming scheme for its vast portfolio of products. Qualcomm will be used for general products, like modems, with the Snapdragon brand serving consumer products and the Dragonwing brand covering the enterprise market.

Qualcomm may be set up for an interesting decision. On the one hand, using the name Snapdragon 8s Elite would make it clear that the to-be-released chip is part of the same generation as the Snapdragon 8 Elite. On the other hand, using the name Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 would make it clear that the chip isn't using custom Oryon cores.

Only time will tell which name Qualcomm will end up using. Personally, I'm voting for the next Snapdragon 8s SoC to be called the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4. While the Elite nomenclature is an excellent brand, it's too good to be diluted. Currently, every Elite chip features Qualcomm's custom Oryon cores, and I think it should stay that way.