Despite the recent announcement of the Snapdragon 8 Elite, evidence suggests Qualcomm is already testing its successor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2. The chip's designation number, "SM8850," was spotted in Xiaomi's HyperOS 2 software.
This leak, shared by Erencan Yılmaz on X (formerly Twitter), indicates that Qualcomm is wasting no time in preparing for the next generation of its flagship processor, even before the first Snapdragon 8 Elite devices have fully reached the market. It's possible the mention of "SM8850" in HyperOS 2 simply reflects forward compatibility, ensuring future devices will work seamlessly with the software.
While it's too early to confirm specifications, rumors suggest the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 might be manufactured using TSMC's 3nm N3P process or Samsung's 2nm SF2 node (pending yield improvements). It may also feature a similar CPU cluster to the Snapdragon 8 Elite, but with higher clock speeds and SME support for enhanced performance.
However, these are just rumors, and we'll have to wait for more concrete information before drawing any firm conclusions about Qualcomm's next flagship SoC. Stay tuned for further updates.
