Qualcomm unveiled two flagship mobile processors at the Snapdragon Summit 2026: the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. Both are the company’s first 2nm chips, built on TSMC’s N2P process node, and one of them is highly likely to be used in the upcoming Galaxy S27 series.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6: specifications and features
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 (SM8950) uses an octa-core CPU with custom Oryon cores: two Prime cores clocked up to 5 GHz and six Performance cores clocked up to 4 GHz, backed by 16 MB of Oryon FlexCache. Qualcomm says the chip’s CPU is 10% faster and 37% more power-efficient than last year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
Graphics are handled by an Adreno 845 GPU with real-time hardware-accelerated ray tracing; Qualcomm states a 35% performance improvement and 40% better power efficiency versus the previous generation. The GPU supports HDR and high-frame-rate gaming and includes advanced rendering tools named Lumen Global Illumination, Nanite Virtualized Geometry, and Game Quick Touch 3.0.
Display support covers QHD+ at up to 240 Hz, 4K+ at up to 120 Hz, or 8K at up to 30 Hz, with Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, HDR Vivid, 10-bit color depth and the Rec. 2020 color gamut.
The onboard Hexagon NPU has been reengineered with an Element Accelerator; Qualcomm reports 14% better NPU performance and a 20% improvement in performance-per-watt. The NPU supports an up to 32,000-token context window and Agentic AI workflows.
Memory and storage support reach up to 24 GB of LPDDR5x or LPDDR6 RAM and UFS 5.0 storage. The Qualcomm Sensing Hub integrates dual micro NPUs and dual always-sensing ISPs to enable always-on audio and video intelligence, constant voice recognition for AI assistants, activity and motion tracking, and sensor-assisted navigation.
Imaging is driven by a Spectra ISP with a triple 20-bit AI-powered setup that supports up to 320 MP sensors, 108 MP capture with zero shutter lag, or three concurrent 64 MP cameras. Video recording capabilities include up to 4K at 120 fps or 8K at 30 fps with HDR, and 4K 120 fps slow-motion capture.
Cellular connectivity is provided by the integrated Qualcomm X105 5G modem, which supports mmWave and sub-6 GHz networks in SA and NSA modes and can reach peak download speeds of up to 14.8 Gbps and peak upload speeds of up to 4.2 Gbps. For sub-6 GHz networks it uses six antennas and a 4×4 MIMO configuration. Qualcomm claims the X105 is the world’s first 3GPP Release 19-ready 5G modem and notes support for NB-NTN and NR-NTN direct satellite communication for audio calls, data, messaging, and video calls in emergencies or when conventional networks are unavailable.
Other connectivity features include Wi‑Fi 8 (up to 11.65 Gbps), Bluetooth 6.0, Thread 1.4, UWB, NFC, USB 3.2 Gen 1 and global GNSS support (Beidou, Galileo, GLONASS, GPS, NavIC and QZSS) with triple-band capability. Snapdragon Sound support offers Bluetooth LE Audio, lossless playback up to 24-bit/96 kHz and spatial audio with dynamic head tracking.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6: enhanced AI, camera and gaming
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 shares the same octa-core Oryon CPU layout and 16 MB FlexCache, with two Prime cores up to 5 GHz and six Performance cores up to 4 GHz. Qualcomm states this Extreme iteration delivers 13% faster CPU performance and 37% better CPU power efficiency compared with the previous generation.
Its Adreno 850 GPU includes 18 MB of dedicated high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and dedicated AI Matrix Cores for machine learning tasks. Qualcomm claims a 44% GPU performance increase and 40% improved power efficiency. The GPU adds Adreno Neural Fusion for AI-driven frame-resolution upsampling and frame generation.
Display capabilities match the standard Elite Gen 6 (QHD+ 240 Hz, 4K+ 120 Hz, 8K 30 Hz) with the same HDR and color support. New gaming features include MegaLights, a real-time light rendering technology permitting an effectively unlimited number of dynamic light sources, and Nanite technology for automatic geometric detail scaling.
The upgraded Hexagon NPU also uses the Element Accelerator and offers 50% larger shared memory than the standard Elite Gen 6; Qualcomm reports 35% higher AI performance and 33% better performance-per-watt. The Extreme Gen 6 supports an up to 32,000-token context window and can run Mixture of Experts (MoE) models with over 30 billion parameters locally.
Memory and storage support are the same as the standard model: up to 24 GB LPDDR5x or LPDDR6 and UFS 5.0. The Spectra ISP keeps the triple 20-bit AI-powered design with support for 320 MP sensors, 108 MP zero-shutter-lag capture and triple 64 MP concurrent capture. Video capabilities are notably enhanced: the Extreme Gen 6 can record 8K video at 60 fps and 4K super slow-motion at up to 240 fps.
The ISP also supports Samsung’s Advanced Professional Video (APV) format and includes hardware-level Global VVC (H.266) decoding, which Qualcomm says improves playback power efficiency by up to 55%.
Connectivity specifications mirror the standard chip, including the Qualcomm X105 modem with the same peak speeds and NB-NTN/NR-NTN support, comprehensive GNSS with up to triple-frequency connectivity, Wi‑Fi 8, Bluetooth 6.0, UWB, Thread 1.4, NFC and USB 3.2 Gen 1.
Who will use these chips and device outlook
Qualcomm says one of these chips will be used in high-end phones from almost all Android manufacturers, including Samsung. Reports indicate the Galaxy S27 Pro and S27 Ultra could use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6.
Both chips are positioned to compete with Apple’s A20 Pro, MediaTek’s Dimensity 9600 series and Samsung’s upcoming Exynos 2700 processor.
