Qualcomm made an unexpected move at the annual Snapdragon Summit, introducing two flagship processors for Android smartphones in 2026. In addition to the expected Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the company announced another chip — Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, which will become the second level in the premium segment, writes Android Authority.
Thus, Qualcomm is effectively copying Apple's strategy, which from 2023 will divide its iPhones into two lines with different processors: the base models will get a standard chip, and the Pro versions will get a more powerful one. For example, the iPhone 17 runs on the A19, while the iPhone 17 Pro runs on the A19 Pro.
According to Alex Katuzian, head of Mobile, Compute & XR at Qualcomm, smartphone manufacturers have been asking for this flexibility. They will now be able to choose between the "Elite experience" and the more affordable, but still flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 5.
There are no technical details about the new chip yet, but OnePlus China president Li Jie Louis confirmed that it is built on a 3nm process and uses Oryon cores. OnePlus will also be the first manufacturer to release a smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 will remain the top-of-the-line solution for the most powerful models, including the Galaxy S26 series, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 will allow brands to create more flexible device lines in the premium segment. This is the first time that Qualcomm has officially divided its flagship class into two tiers.
In addition to mobile chips, Qualcomm also introduced new processors for laptops with Windows on Arm — Snapdragon X2 Elite and Elite Extreme.