The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 doesn't exist, so why is it on this phone box?

Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 8 Elite high-end smartphone processor last week, and it represents another change in the company’s naming convention. We were expecting it to be called the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, following last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and it looks like at least one Android phone maker had the same expectation.

We recently received a Realme GT 7 Pro review unit, and the phone box lists a “Snapdragon 8 Gen 4” processor instead of the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. Check out our picture below.

Does this mean Realme was left in the dark about the Snapdragon 8 Elite name change? A company representative told Android Authority that Qualcomm was late in confirming the Snapdragon 8 Elite name to Realme, saying that confirmation came “like several days before the (Snapdragon) summit.” So the smartphone maker didn’t have time to change the chipset name on the boxes that went out to reviewers. Realme added that the name has been changed on mass-production boxes.

It’s also entirely possible that Realme rushed to produce the GT 7 Pro and its initial boxes in a bid to quickly get the phone in the hands of reviewers and to claim a first. The company says the GT 7 Pro will be the first widely available Snapdragon 8 Elite phone, claiming it’ll launch in Europe and India as well. So between the apparent late notice of a name change and the desire to get the phone out quickly, we can see why there’s “Snapdragon 8 Gen 4” branding on some boxes.

The Realme GT 7 Pro is scheduled to launch in China on November 4, with a wider launch following later in the month. The company has already confirmed that the phone will have a Samsung-made display with 2,000 nits of “maximum global brightness,” while leaks point to a 50MP+50MP+8MP triple rear camera system and a 6,500mAh battery with 120W charging.