Qualcomm Confirms Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 to Launch in September
Qualcomm has officially confirmed the launch window for its highly anticipated next-generation flagship mobile system-on-a-chip (SoC), the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. At their Computex 2025 keynote, the company announced that they will hold the next Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii from the 23rd to the 25th of September. This announcement aligns with earlier speculation suggesting an earlier-than-usual release for Qualcomm’s premium smartphone processor.
Early Launch Confirmed by Snapdragon Summit Dates
According to a report by Notebookcheck, this accelerated launch cadence follows a trend from Qualcomm, which has been gradually shortening the time between its high-end SoC releases since the Snapdragon 888.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 will deliver significant performance improvements over its predecessor. Leaks cited by Notebookcheck.com indicate potential gains of up to 26% in AnTuTu benchmark scores. Rumours suggest that the new SoC maintains a 6 + 2 CPU core configuration and features a significantly enhanced Adreno GPU, which reportedly delivers up to 30% faster performance than the previous generation. Analysts attribute these advancements to the adoption of the Arm v9 instruction set, new Nuvia CPU cores, and TSMC’s cutting-edge N3P manufacturing process.
Smartphones Powered by New Chipset Expected in October
Smartphone enthusiasts can look forward to the first devices powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 arriving as early as October 2025. Several prominent manufacturers, including Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Realme, are expected to feature the new chip in their upcoming flagship models—the Xiaomi 16, OnePlus 15, and Realme GT8 Pro, according to Notebookcheck. However, the report suggests that Samsung might deviate from its usual practice, with speculation that the Galaxy S26 series could exclusively utilise the company’s own Exynos 2600 chipset across all variants, potentially due to Qualcomm’s reported intention to manufacture a “Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 for Galaxy” variant on Samsung Foundry’s SF2 node.
Potential Laptop Chip Debut and Competitive Landscape
The Snapdragon Summit in late September may also see the debut of Qualcomm’s next-generation laptop chips, potentially branded as the Snapdragon X Elite 2 or Snapdragon X2 Elite. However, Notebookcheck points out that some rumours suggest these laptop-focused chips might not appear until 2026.