Never mind 8 Elite: Leaks are here for Qualcomm’s next Android flagship chip

The Snapdragon 8 Elite has just arrived, and it’s a big leap forward for smartphone processors. Nevertheless, it looks like we’ve now got some major leaks about the follow-up chipset.

Korean outlet KiPost reports (spotted via Jukanlosreve on X) that Qualcomm could “significantly” increase the price of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 processor next year. This comes after the Snapdragon 8 Elite was found to be 20-30% more expensive than its predecessor.

We’ll have to wait for more reports to corroborate this claim, but another significant price increase wouldn’t be good news for flagship phone makers or consumers. OEMs will likely have to pass this increased price on to consumers or downgrade their phones to maintain pricing.

What could the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 look like?

This isn’t the only significant Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 leak we’ve seen. Veteran leaker Digital Chat Station reports (via machine translation) that the chipset will be manufactured on TSMC’s third-generation 3nm process, dubbed N3P. This would be an improvement over the second-generation 3nm process (N3E) used on the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Furthermore, the source also seems to suggest that clock speeds will receive a boost, and we could expect a performance gain of 20% or more.

In other words, those expecting a giant leap in performance, like the jump from Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 to Snapdragon 8 Elite, might be disappointed. This could still be a notable horsepower upgrade for flagship Android phones, though, especially in light of the 8 Elite’s impressive performance so far.

The switch to a more advanced manufacturing process could also bring notable efficiency improvements, translating into better battery life. And we’ve already seen how current Snapdragon 8 Elite phones like the ROG Phone 9 Pro deliver significant battery life gains.