Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 Will Launch Early

JAKARTA - Snapdragon 8 Elite is the best processor for current Android flagship, especially for those who are willing to pay dearly for the highest performance. Most manufacturers have released their flagship Pro and Ultra phones with this chipset, so attention is now shifting to the next generation: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2.

According to a leak from the Digital Chat Station on Weibo, Qualcomm is expected to release the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 by the end of September 2025. Following the launch of this SoC, the first Android flagship with this new chipset is expected to be released in October.

Usually, Qualcomm shows off Snapdragon flagship chipsets at the annual Snapdragon Summit event. This event was held towards the end of the year, but in recent years the schedule has advanced. The last two iterations were held in October, so that the September launch will advance the release calendar for about a month.

If this leak is accurate, the public could see the first Android flagship with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 in October, most likely launched for the first time in China. Global launches are expected to follow around December to January, with the CES event becoming the ideal moment to introduce this new flagship.

This earlier launch could reduce the distance between the new Android flagship and iPhone 17 releases, as well as give Android the opportunity to compete stronger in the Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping season. This is certainly good news to encourage sales figures of Android phones.

But keep in mind, until now there has been no official confirmation from Qualcomm or Android manufacturer regarding this new flagship schedule, so there is still a possibility of a change in plans.

Leaks also mention that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 (model number SM8850) will have two main cores and six second-generation Oryon-based performance cores. This chip is expected to be built with a more sophisticated TSMC N3P fabrication process and supported by GPU Adreno 840.