Qualcomm's next flagship chipset, in addition to performance improvements, could also lead to an increase in the prices of Android phones.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro Could Cost Over $300
According to a new leak, the cost of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro for smartphone manufacturers could exceed $300. This figure suggests it would be the chipmaker's most expensive mobile processor to date. Abhishek Yadav, a user on the X platform, revealed how Qualcomm's flagship chipsets have seen price increases in recent years.
For comparison, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 was reportedly priced around $120–$130. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 saw an increase to the $170–$200 range, while the newer Snapdragon 8 Elite surpassed $220. The next-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro is rumored to easily exceed this level, potentially costing over $300.
This rapid increase in cost could force Android manufacturers to adopt a new strategy in the flagship segment. According to leaks, Qualcomm is working on two different versions instead of a single high-end chip: the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and the more powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, aimed at "Ultra" class devices.
May Only Be Featured in Ultra Models
The Pro version is expected to be used especially in top-tier, camera-focused models like the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra. Significant technical differences are also rumored between the two chips. The Pro model is said to be manufactured using TSMC's 2nm production process, offering a more powerful Adreno 850 GPU, a larger cache structure, wider memory bandwidth, and LPDDR6 RAM support. The standard version, however, is expected to be more limited with an Adreno 845 GPU and LPDDR5X memory. Additionally, while rumors of clock speeds of 5 GHz and above are circulating, real-world performance may fall short of these theoretical values.
If the leaks prove accurate, Android flagship phones in 2027 could feature both higher performance and higher price tags, leading to a more fragmented product segment.
0 Comments: