Qualcomm has officially revealed its next flagship processor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, just days before the Snapdragon Summit 2025 in Maui, Hawaii. The processor will power premium smartphones launching later this year and in 2026.
The name has raised questions because the last chipset was called Snapdragon 8 Elite, and now Qualcomm is calling this one 8 Elite Gen 5. So, Qualcomm also gave a detailed explanation. The company said that this is the fifth-generation chipset in its Snapdragon 8-series. That is why the suffix “Gen 5” has been added.
In Qualcomm’s words, “It might look like we skipped generations, but the truth is simpler — and more powerful. Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 marks the fifth generation of our premium 8-series platforms since we introduced our new single digit naming and visual identity.”
Snapdragon 8-series naming so far:
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
- Snapdragon 8 Elite
- Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
Xiaomi has already confirmed that its Xiaomi 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max will use the new chipset. Samsung is also expected to bring it to the Galaxy S26 series. At the same time, reports suggest Samsung could also use its own Exynos 2600 (2nm) for some models.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is expected to bring major performance and efficiency improvements. More details about the processor will be shared at the Snapdragon Summit between September 23 and 25.
