Qualcomm announced two flagship smartphone processors, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, designed to enable advanced on-device AI features including personal AI agents, voice processing, and professional video capabilities. The Extreme version can run a 30-billion-parameter mixture-of-experts model locally, outpacing Apple's 20-billion-parameter model, while Motorola introduced the Signature 27 smartphone powered by the new chip.
Qualcomm launched the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chipsets, designed for on-device AI processing in premium Android smartphones from manufacturers like Motorola and Xiaomi. The chips, built on TSMC's 2-nanometer process, compete with Apple's A20 Pro as the smartphone industry contracts due to rising memory costs, prompting a shift toward high-end devices and AI-focused capabilities.
Motorola unveiled the Signature 27 smartphone at the Snapdragon Summit, featuring Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 processor and Bang & Olufsen speakers. The flagship device includes a 200MP telephoto lens, runs Android 17 with seven years of updates, and integrates Google's Gemini AI tools. The phone is expected to launch worldwide in 2026.
Qualcomm launched the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chipsets built on TSMC's 2-nanometer process, designed for on-device AI processing in premium smartphones from Motorola, Xiaomi, and ZTE. The release targets a smartphone market contracting due to high memory costs, with Qualcomm positioning its chips as AI hubs competing with Apple's A-series processors.
Motorola confirmed its Signature 27 flagship smartphone will launch in North America in the coming months, featuring Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 processor and seven years of updates. The company also announced a multi-year partnership with Bang & Olufsen to integrate premium audio tuning into selected flagship devices.
Google launches Googlebooks, premium Android-powered laptops starting at $899, designed to compete in the higher-end market unlike budget Chromebooks. The devices feature OLED screens, metal builds, haptic trackpads, and a Glowbar notification system, powered by Snapdragon X Elite or Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors with on-device AI capabilities.
Motorola teased its upcoming Signature 27 smartphone on Instagram, revealing a distinctive design featuring four camera lenses arranged in two rows. The device represents a significant departure from previous Motorola Signature models and will reportedly be powered by a latest-generation Snapdragon chip, with full details expected soon.
The OnePlus 16 has appeared on Geekbench 7 with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chipset, scoring 3,492 single-core and 11,950 multi-core points. However, it underperforms compared to Apple's A20 Pro in the iPhone 18 Pro Max, which exceeds 4,000 on single-core tests. The phone will feature 16GB RAM and Android 17.
A Chinese content creator leaked an engineering prototype video of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, revealing its 2nm design, new CPU configuration, and Geekbench 6 scores. While the chipset shows strong multi-core performance, Apple's A20 Pro remains faster in single-core benchmarks. The prototype features a new Heat Pass Block for thermal management ahead of the Snapdragon Summit.
OnePlus has opened reservations for the OnePlus 16 in China, featuring three colorways and storage options up to 1TB. The phone maintains a similar design to its predecessor with a square rear camera module and is expected to include Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chipset and a 9,000mAh battery, though availability outside China remains unlikely.
Qualcomm's Adreno X2-90 GPU in the Snapdragon X2 Elite offers nearly double the theoretical compute throughput of its predecessor Adreno X1, with eight shader processors, higher clock speeds (1.85 GHz), and improved integer performance. The architecture emphasizes FP32 and FP16 operations but lacks FP64 support and hardware fused multiply-add capability, comparing competitively with AMD's integrated GPUs in laptops.
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro Max sold in the US continues to use Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 modem, according to a TechInsights teardown, despite most other variants adopting Apple's in-house C2 modem. The discrepancy likely stems from contractual obligations, though Apple's C-series modems now match Qualcomm's capabilities with better power efficiency.
ASUS launched the Ascent QN10, a compact Windows on Arm mini PC powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite processor featuring an 80 TOPS NPU that meets Copilot+ PC requirements. The system fits in a 0.7-liter chassis with up to 32GB memory and 4TB storage, priced at $1,349.99 for the 16GB/512GB configuration. ASUS targets developers and AI workloads with support for 175+ optimized models from Qualcomm AI Hub.
Omarchy has launched a new team called Omarchy Dragon to bring Linux support to Qualcomm Snapdragon laptops. Five engineers are working on enabling core functionality like sleep, video playback, and firmware updates across Surface, Lenovo, HP, and ASUS Snapdragon devices, with plans to push improvements upstream to benefit other ARM platforms.