Buying your next phone could get a whole lot more complicated

Qualcomm’s next-generation Snapdragon plans may not be as simple as anyone thought. A newly leaked roadmap not only teases the already rumored Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and its Pro variant but also includes a few new chips that would redefine the company’s flagship portfolio for the next couple of years.

The roadmap, shared by tipster Digital Chat Station on Weibo, outlines what is presumably Qualcomm’s premium lineup over future generations. We already heard about the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, but now we have two interesting surprises: a mysterious Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5XX Edition and a chip called the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Pro.

The latter is especially interesting, as it carries the designation SM8845 Pro. The SM8845 is the model number of Qualcomm’s standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, so this isn’t an entirely new generation, just a higher-tier version of the same platform. Rumors had circulated that a non-Elite Snapdragon 8 Gen 6 was coming, but DCS’ Weibo post suggests Qualcomm might be extending the life of the Gen 5 family with a Pro variant.

That wouldn’t be so out of character. Qualcomm has a history of keeping older flagship silicon around after new chips launch. For example, the original Snapdragon 8 Elite is still expected to be powering some flagship phones even after the next generation of chips comes around.

The roadmap does mention a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5XX Edition, but it’s unclear what will set it apart from the regular Gen 5 lineup. Qualcomm has tinkered with improved versions of existing chips before, but the “XX Edition” branding is new and leaves lots of room for speculation.

Qualcomm is rumored to be gearing up to release the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 family in standard and Pro flavors, built on TSMC’s 2nm process. The Pro version will presumably be powered by Qualcomm’s custom Oryon CPU, Adreno 850 GPU, LPDDR6 memory support, and a larger cache. The regular version is expected to feature an Adreno 845 GPU and LPDDR5X memory.

As of now, none of these chips have been officially announced, so it’s worth treating the roadmap with some caution. But if Qualcomm does go ahead with this plan, it may soon be more than just Elite vs. non-Elite chips when you’re picking an Android flagship.