Qualcomm is reportedly gearing up to introduce its Snapdragon 8 Plus, a new high-end chipset expected to debut in 2026. Although it is anticipated to be slightly less powerful than the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, the Snapdragon 8 Plus may still deliver performance comparable to the current flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite. This new SoC is likely to be manufactured using the 3nm N3P process developed by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and may incorporate some features from the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2.
Qualcomm’s New Chipset Could Offer Snapdragon 8 Elite-Level Performance
According to a recent announcement by the tech insider Digital Chat Station on the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, Qualcomm is in the process of developing a high-end system-on-chip (SoC) identified as the model number SM8845. This new chip is predicted to match the performance of the Snapdragon 8 Elite, the company’s existing flagship model. This suggests that Qualcomm intends to position the Snapdragon 8 Plus between the next flagship, the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, and its current leading SoC. A report from GSMArena also indicates that this new chipset may be designated as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus.
Furthermore, it has been revealed that the Snapdragon 8 Plus will utilize a proprietary architecture featuring large cores. It is also projected to leverage TSMC’s advanced 3nm N3P manufacturing process and will share some structural elements with the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, which is set to launch in September and is expected to offer considerable performance upgrades over its predecessor. Devices that incorporate the Snapdragon 8 Plus chip are likely to include larger batteries, potentially reaching a maximum capacity of 8,000mAh.
Given its predicted Snapdragon 8 Elite-level performance, it is pertinent to reference the specifications of the currently available chipset. Launched in October 2024, the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC is built on a 64-bit architecture utilizing a 3nm process. It features a custom-built octa-core Qualcomm Oryon CPU, with a peak clock speed of 4.32GHz.
Qualcomm claims that this current flagship SoC provides 45 percent improved performance in both single and multi-core tasks, enhancing web browsing speed by 62 percent. At the time of launch, the company announced that devices employing this chip would support LPDDR5x RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. Additionally, the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC incorporates Unreal Engine 5’s Nanite technology, facilitating high-quality 3D environments for mobile gaming.
