Qualcomm seems ready to confuse everyone again with its chipset names. Just when tech followers were getting used to the Snapdragon 8 Elite branding, a new rumor suggests the next flagship might not be called the expected Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2. 
Instead, the chip reportedly codenamed SM8850 could launch as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
The leak, coming from Digital Chat Station on Weibo, implies Qualcomm is skipping several generations in its naming scheme. Why jump from ‘Gen 1’ straight to ‘Gen 5’? The logic isn’t clear, but speculation points to Qualcomm trying to streamline its upcoming lineup, where both the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and the standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 are expected. The Elite will target the most premium devices, while the standard Gen 5 may deliver slightly less performance at a more affordable cost.
One example of this strategy surfaced in a Geekbench leak: the REDMAGIC 11 Pro was spotted using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 rather than the Elite edition. This suggests Qualcomm wants clear separation between the two tiers without confusing ‘Gen 2’ vs. ‘Gen 5’ comparisons.
Of course, this is still rumor territory. Qualcomm will make everything official at the upcoming Snapdragon Summit on September 23. Until then, it’s worth keeping some skepticism in mind – especially since this tipster hasn’t always been accurate. Still, one thing’s certain: naming schemes aside, Qualcomm’s next flagship chips will shape the next wave of Android performance smartphones.
1 comment
tech nerds will figure it out anyway, but average ppl def wont care 😂