TL; DR
- Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 will be Qualcomm’s first chip to use TSMC’s 2nm N2P fabrication technology; however, it won’t be the first chip to use the technology altogether.
- The smartphones based on the chipset, including the successors of the OnePlus 15, Xiaomi 17, iQOO 15, and the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra, could be slightly more expensive than they already are.
- Part of the improvement in the processing power will come from the support for LPDDR6 RAM and UFS 5.0 storage (two advanced yet expensive components that will also contribute to the rise of 8 Elite Gen 6-powered smartphones).
A couple of weeks ago, Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the successor to last year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite. While the smartphones powered by the latest chips haven’t even hit the shelves across the globe, details about its purported successor — the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 — have already started to surface on the internet.
Also Read: Upcoming Phones With Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 To Feature TSMC’s N2P Fabrication Technology
The most recent piece of information comes from the reliable Chinese tipster Digital Chat Station. First, the tipster claims that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 will be Qualcomm’s first chip to use TSMC’s 2nm N2P fabrication technology; however, it won’t be the first chip to use the technology altogether.
Based on what I’ve learned in the past few days, Apple could beat Qualcomm to the punch by using TSMC’s cutting-edge 2nm manufacturing process on one of its A20 chips, likely the A20 Pro. As a result, the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro Max could be the first widely available smartphones to feature the technology. Apple’s first foldable could also sport the same chipset.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Could Make Future Flagships More Expensive
Coming back to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, using 2nm fabrication could make it more expensive than the current flagship chipset based on 3nm technology. As a result, the smartphones based on the chipset, including the successors of the OnePlus 15, Xiaomi 17, iQOO 15, and the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra, could be slightly more expensive than they already are.
Also Read: Samsung Tri-Fold phone is real and the S-Pen may finally return to the Galaxy Fold
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6: Performance & Efficiency Improvements
Moreover, the 8 Elite Gen 6 is expected to be substantially more powerful and power-efficient than the current 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset. Reports suggest that the N2P technology can deliver up to 18% faster performance while consuming 36% less energy than the N2 technology at a 2nm node. Furthermore, N2P offers 1.2x logic density and 1.15x chip density.
Support For LPDDR6 & UFS 5.0 Could Transform On-Device AI Performance
Part of the improvement in the processing power will come from the support for LPDDR6 RAM and UFS 5.0 storage (two advanced yet expensive components that will also contribute to the rise of 8 Elite Gen 6-powered smartphones). For the uninitiated, LPDDR6 RAM promises dramatically faster data access speeds, potentially up to 14.4 Gbps, improved power efficiency, and offers dual sub-channels for efficient data transfers.
Meanwhile, UFS 5.0 could offer double the sequential bandwidth of UFS 4.0, along with enhanced reliability and greater power efficiency. Together, the next-generation RAM and storage standard will improve on-device AI processing by enabling applications and algorithms to access large amounts of data within seconds. Smoother, more intensive multitasking shouldn’t be an issue either.
Also Read: ColorOS 16 on the Find X9 Pro: The Software is Just as Good as the Hardware
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6: Release Timeline (Expected)
For now, these are the only details we know about Qualcomm’s upcoming chipset. Based on past product launches, we can also speculate that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 might break cover in September 2026 and could start appearing on smartphones from October. While Chinese manufacturers should be among the first to adopt the chipset, Samsung should release a Galaxy flagship powered by it in early 2027.
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