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At the Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii, Qualcomm announced two new flagship chipsets for Android phones: the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. Both are built on 2nm technology, as reported by both 9to5google and ximitime.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6: two models instead of one
This year Qualcomm introduced a pair of chips. It considers both to be "flagship" offerings meant to give phone makers "more choice." The Elite Gen 6 follows last year's Elite Gen 5, while the Elite Extreme Gen 6 sits a tier higher. According to Android Authority, customers will essentially get the same everyday performance and core features whichever version they choose.
CPU and graphics performance
Both versions are powered by an Oryon processor with two Prime cores at 5 GHz and six Performance cores at 4 GHz, writes 9to5google. The Elite Gen 6 adds 10 percent more CPU performance and 37 percent better energy efficiency compared with the Gen 5. The Extreme boosts CPU performance by 13 percent.
The redesigned Adreno graphics chip offers 35 percent higher performance and 40 percent better energy efficiency. For the Extreme version, GPU performance rises by 44 percent.
What only the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 brings
- Adreno Matrix Cores AI matrix cores,
- 18 MB of High Performance Memory,
- 50 percent more shared memory, which can handle Mixture of Experts models with more than 30 billion parameters,
- VVC (H.266) video decoding,
- 8K60 video recording and 4K240 ultra HD slow-motion, as confirmed by 9to5google and petapixel.
Adreno Neural Fusion uses the new matrix cores for AI super resolution and frame generation and saves up to 40 percent energy in supported games. According to Android Authority, partners include Honkai Star Rail, War Thunder Mobile, Diablo Immortal, Arena Breakout, Farming Simulator 26, and Monster Hunter Outlanders.
AI, modem, and the first phone
The Hexagon NPU processor has a new Element Accelerator for working with large language models. Qualcomm reports 14 percent higher NPU performance and 20 percent better performance per watt, while for the Extreme it is 35 percent and 33 percent, respectively. Android Authority adds that the Element Accelerator supports Fast Action Loops and a 32K context length for AI models. The new Sensing Hub has two small NPUs with 85 percent higher performance and 20 percent better efficiency.
Both chipsets are complemented by the Qualcomm X105 5G modem with support for 3GPP Release 19 5G Advanced, which raises download speeds by 10 percent. Motorola has already announced the Signature 27 phone with the Extreme version. The chip model designations are SM8950 and SM8975, and the summit in Hawaii runs from September 22 to 24.
In its text, the ximitime server states that the new chips will appear in flagship phones in 2024 and compares them with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. That conflicts with the September 2026 announcement.