Qualcomm will soon launch the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 in September, which is earlier than usual. Phones with the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 might start shipping as soon as October 2025, which is a month earlier than usual. There are some major performance promises as per leaks. However, there are many issues with the global market at the moment, mainly the tariffs on semiconductors from the US government.
As a result, the prices of smartphones will indirectly increase. Qualcomm will mostly pass on these costs to the customers, and it’s not likely that they’ll absorb all the costs and take a significant hit to their profit margins.
Every year, the release of new Qualcomm chipsets has been getting earlier. Chips are used to launch in November or December, followed by new phones with the chip in January. The Snapdragon 8 Elite (current generation) launched in October. 2024. Since the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 may launch in September, it’s a whole month earlier than last year. Phones with the 8 Elite 2 will begin shipping a month later, which is in October 2025.
Once the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 is available to the public, companies like Realme, Xiaomi, and OnePlus will release new models with this chip, though many models will remain China-exclusive for a while. We can expect global launches to begin around December or January.
What we know about the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2:
- It will offer a significant performance upgrade from the current generation.
- Leaked benchmark scores show a score of over 4000 in the single-core test, which is ~800 points higher than the 3200 points of the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
- The multi-core score is at 13,000, which is way higher than the 10,000 points of the first-generation chip.
- It’s a major competitor to Apple’s A19 Pro chipset.
Qualcomm did not opt for TSMC’s new 2nm fabrication, likely due to an issue with yield rates and prices. It’ll use the third-gen 3nm fabrication process, which will offer better efficiency. This will also support a larger cache and faster RAM and ROM. Both the CPU and GPU are being upgraded, and the second generation of Oryon custom cores will be used. The configuration is 2 prime cores and 6 high-performance cores. Notably, it has no more efficiency or low-power cores, leaving the task of efficiency to software and optimization.
The only major problem at the moment is costs. Qualcomm has already been raising prices, a byproduct of its monopoly in the market. The company might raise costs even further after the imposition of tariffs if they don’t negotiate with the US government for an exception. While smartphones and other consumer electronics are exempt, semiconductors are still subject to the new tariffs.
While the release of chips this soon gives manufacturers more options and headroom, we hope it addresses the thermal complaints of the previous generation. It was particularly difficult to optimize.
