The latest rumors from the well-known and reliable source Digital Chat Station offer a detailed look at Qualcomm’s upcoming flagship processors.
The models in question, identified by the codes SM8975 and SM8950, most likely correspond to the Pro and standard variants of the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6.
The chips will power the high-end Android smartphones planned for 2027, although an earlier debut by the end of this year on devices such as the OnePlus 16 is a decidedly realistic possibility.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6: power to spare but costs out of scale?
The most notable development is the anticipated transition to the 2 nm manufacturing process at TSMC foundries. This evolution promises substantial gains in both raw performance and energy efficiency, clearly separating the results from the previous iteration.
From an architectural standpoint, both chip variants will maintain a CPU configuration based on a 2+3+3 scheme.
Qualcomm therefore seems determined to continue along the path of custom Oryon cores, an approach that has widely proven its validity.
The most marked differences between the standard model and its higher-end counterpart focus instead on the graphics subsystem. The Pro version will integrate a powerful Adreno 850 GPU, equipped with as much as 18 MB of dedicated graphics memory, also known as GMEM or Adreno High Performance Memory cache.
Conversely, the base variant will adopt a somewhat downgraded Adreno 845 GPU limited to 12 MB of cache.
This gap carries a substantial weight. A greater amount of cache memory directly on the processor translates into faster processing and reduced power consumption during intensive graphics calculations.
For comparison, the current Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 already has 18 MB of Adreno HPM, suggesting that those who opt for the Gen 6 base model will undergo a reduction in this specific aspect.
New-generation memories and positioning
Another strong disparity between the two versions concerns the handling of memory modules.
Leaks indicate that the Pro variant will be able to support the very new LPDDR6 memories alongside the current LPDDR5X, effectively marking the first ever debut of this new technology on Android smartphones.
The standard model, on the other hand, will remain anchored exclusively to the LPDDR5X standard. This clear separation of specifications confirms Qualcomm’s intention to give brands an even wider margin to separate the “base flagship” devices from the ultra-premium variants.
However, this technological leap will have commercial consequences. The previews describe the SM8975 as a chip with extremely high production costs. For this reason, many brands in the sector are already testing their traditional high-end smartphones using the standard variant, reserving the Pro architecture only for the most exclusive models.
Considering the concurrent rise in electronics component prices, aggravated by a persistent global RAM memory supply crisis, adopting such an expensive processor will inevitably have market repercussions.
Consumers should brace themselves for much higher price tags than usual. Future flagship-grade smartphones, such as the likely Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra, will be pushed to price bands substantially higher than today, making the most advanced products increasingly elitist and hardly accessible to the majority.
