Qualcomm just announced the highly anticipated Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 at the Snapdragon Summit, but that wasn’t the only chip the company showed us. Right at the end of its keynote, and after announcing the Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme chips, Qualcomm said it had one more chip in store.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is coming later this year
At the end of its keynote at the Snapdragon Summit, Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. While different from the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, it is still part of the company’s premium lineup of mobile processors. The new chip will likely sit below the flagship processor, while offering some of its features.
The chip was announced by Alex Katouzian, General Manager for Mobile, Compute, and XR at Qualcomm, who did a version of Apple’s “One More Thing” moments. At the end of the keynote, he said, “We have one more addition to our premium lineup,” which made some audience members cheer and applaud. However, he didn’t share much beyond the name of the new chip.
We developed this chipset to give you more choices and flexibility, while still delivering flagship features. We’ll have a lot more to share about this platform later this year, so please stay tuned.
Alex Katouzian, General Manager for Mobile, Compute, and XR at Qualcomm, September 2025
This is utterly confusing, Qualcomm!
Earlier this month, Qualcomm announced its new naming scheme and tried to explain why the Snapdragon 8 Elite was followed by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. The company said it was making things easier to understand by properly signaling that this year’s chips are the fifth generation of its top-tier 8-series platform.
However, it is still confusing how the top-tier chips went from Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 to Snapdragon 8 Elite and 8 Elite Gen 5. Adding to the mix a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, which isn’t the company’s best chip, makes things even more confusing.
Do you pay attention to the chip inside your phone?
Yes, and it’s very important to me
60%
Yes, but I’m not deeply invested into it
20%
No, I’m happy if it works fast
20%
Meanwhile, MediaTek just announced the Dimensity 9500, part of the company’s top-tier Dimensity 9000 series, and better than the Dimensity 8000, 7000, and 6000 series. Apple’s latest processors are the A19 and A19 Pro, which are better than the A18 and A18 Pro.
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Make it make sense, please
I know the vast majority of smartphone users don’t care about the name of the processor inside their device. For the sake of everyone who does, I’d love to see Qualcomm adopt a better naming scheme, which makes sense to people outside the company.
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Ilia, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, has been covering the mobile industry since 2011, with experience at outlets like Forbes Bulgaria. Passionate about smartphones, tablets, and consumer tech, he blends deep industry knowledge with a personal fascination that began with his first Nokia and Sony Ericsson devices. Originally from Bulgaria and now based in Lima, Peru, Ilia balances his tech obsessions with walking his dog, training at the gym, and slowly mastering Spanish.
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