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Alleged Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chip leaks in live image
A newly leaked photo now gives us a better idea of what Qualcomm’s most powerful mobile chip, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, could look like.
Qualcomm could be preparing a major change to its Snapdragon lineup this year. Instead of offering a single top-tier chip, the company is set to introduce standard and Pro variants, with the latter carrying Extreme branding.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 appears unusually large
An image shared by LaidBackDeveloper on X appears to show the SM8975 package, which has previously been associated with Qualcomm’s higher-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 variant.
Qualcomm appears to be placing the memory and thermal components alongside the processor. The new architecture could give manufacturers more room to manage heat when the chip is pushed hard during gaming or AI processing.
However, the package takes up considerably more physical space. Smartphone makers will therefore need to account for the larger footprint when designing their internal layouts.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro is also rumored to support newer LPDDR6 memory, while the standard model may stick with LPDDR5X. That could give vendors a choice between controlling costs and chasing maximum performance.
There are also claims of substantial GPU architectural changes aimed at improving gaming performance. If the leaked package is genuine, Qualcomm’s approach may influence phone thickness, cooling hardware and motherboard design.
With the first Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 devices expected later this year, we shouldn’t have to wait too long to see how much of this leak actually makes it into commercial smartphones.