Qualcomm's Teaser Leaves no Doubt: There Are Two Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 SoCs This Year
qualcommThursday, 20 August 2026 at 03:30
Within the next month, we should learn which Snapdragon chipsets will power the next generation of flagship smartphones. Qualcomm is expected to unveil its new Snapdragon 8 Elite lineup at the Snapdragon Summit in September, but this year's announcement could be different from previous generations. Rumors have been pointing to two new Snapdragon 8 Elite chips, and Qualcomm now appears to have confirmed that something unusual is coming. A new teaser from the company repeatedly hints at "Dual 8 Elites," suggesting that two high-end Snapdragon processors will debut this year. Meet the so-called Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 series.
Qualcomm Confirms "Dual 8 Elites" This Year
If you're not in the "AI fever" camp, you will be displeased to see Qualcomm teasing that its new CPUs are ushering in a new chapter in the Agentic AI era. But don't let the AI trend get all the attention here. The most relevant part is that the short teaser confirms that "Dual 8 Elites" are coming this year, and in the video, we see Qualcomm basically throwing this at us.
There are other phrases such as "Two changes the game" and "Opportunity doubled". In the end, if there was any doubt remaining, everything is clear now. This year we will see two Snapdragon 8 Elite flagships. According to current rumors, these two chips will be called the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro. Qualcomm has not yet officially confirmed those names.
Key Points
- Qualcomm has officially teased two new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipsets for Snapdragon Summit 2026.
- The teaser calls them "Dual 8 Elites" and highlights "twice the options."
- Qualcomm is expected to reveal the new chips on September 22 at Snapdragon Summit 2026.
- The two chipsets are rumored to be the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro.
- The 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro has reportedly reached 4,835,412 points in AnTuTu 11, approaching the five-million mark.
- The Pro model could target Ultra and premium flagship smartphones, while the standard Gen 6 could offer a more cost-effective flagship platform.
- Qualcomm's teaser highlights improvements to AI, connectivity, cameras, and gaming graphics.
- The new Snapdragon chips are expected to power smartphones launching in late 2026 and the first wave of 2027 flagships.
- Xiaomi 18 and iQOO 16 series are among the smartphones rumored to adopt the new Snapdragon platforms.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro - The Next King of Flagships
The exact core architecture is yet to be fully disclosed by Qualcomm. However, a leaked AnTuTu 11 benchmark shows the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro scoring nearly 5 million. The exact score is 4,835,412, and to explain my optimism in pushing it to "nearly five million," that's because this probably comes from an unfinished testing product. The final retail performance could be even higher after Qualcomm and smartphone manufacturers complete their software and thermal optimizations, although that remains speculative.
The standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 could instead target more cost-conscious flagship and "flagship killer" smartphones, giving manufacturers a way to offer high-end performance without using the more expensive Pro chip. This CPU could even be used for the "standard" flagships, while the Pro variant could arrive in the costlier and fancier "Ultra" or "Pro Max" flagships.
Read also
Xiaomi, OnePlus and iQOO are among the manufacturers rumored to be preparing phones based on the new Snapdragon chips, potentially including the Xiaomi 18 series, OnePlus 16 and iQOO 16 series.
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