Late last year, Qualcomm released the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which significantly advanced Android phones. In addition, the naming scheme was altered from the previous Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. Nonetheless, it appears that both naming styles might eventually coexist.
A prolific leaker, Digital Chat Station, speculated on Weibo that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 might be the name of the company’s rumoured SM8845 chip.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 or Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 is anticipated to be the SM8850 chipset that Qualcomm is also developing. Accordingly, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 and Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 may be released in the upcoming months. According to part numbers and prior leaks, the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 is expected to be the most popular Snapdragon chip in 2026, with the rumoured Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 coming in close behind.
If verified, though, this would be an intriguing renaming scheme. Instead of using the anticipated Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 name, Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip last year. The packaging for the realme GT7 Pro’s initial production runs actually referred to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 name.
However, it appears that the Snapdragon 8s Gen 5 will not be joining the celebration. The SM8835 chip, which was anticipated to be the Snapdragon 8s Gen 5, would not be released in 2026, according to a previous statement from Digital Chat Station.
