Next week, we should bear witness to Qualcomm’s flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, though for the longest time, it was assumed that the SoC would be named Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 or the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. If you were patiently waiting for some explanation from the company regarding the jump from the Snapdragon 8 Elite to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the San Diego firm has provided its take on the naming scheme while also casually admitting the chipset’s official name.
Aside from the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, other high-end chipsets from Qualcomm are expected to adopt the new naming scheme, so customers can better understand the product roadmap
On Qualcomm’s OnQblog, the company addresses why it switched to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 name, stating that it may have appeared that the company skipped a few names that should have been included in the lineup, but the upcoming chipset will represent the fifth generation of its top-end 8-series chipset family.
“It might look like we skipped generations, but the truth is simpler — and more powerful. Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 marks the fifth generation of our premium 8-series platforms since we introduced our new single digit naming and visual identity. By aligning with Gen 5, we’re reinforcing its leadership position and simplifying how consumers understand our product roadmap.”
The company has taken the liberty of drafting some questions that it believes would be the usual queries from individuals who are still scratching their heads. One of them was whether Qualcomm was introducing a name change, to which the firm responds that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 name reflects a number of factors, with the details mentioned below.
“Nope — this is simply an unprecedented moment in our roadmap. Snapdragon 8 Elite was introduced last year as a new tier within our premium lineup, marking unprecedented performance gains. As the first of its kind, it debuted as a standalone platform.
Our naming reflects a combination of factors: performance capabilities, launch timing and how each platform fits within our broader portfolio. So, while the naming may look new, it’s actually a continuation of our established framework — one that evolves with the technology it represents.”
The ‘Elite’ name will continue to be reserved for Qualcomm’s most premium offering for the year, with other products also said to be included in the Gen 5 series. For instance, there is a rumor doing the rounds that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 will share the same 3nm ‘N3P’ lithography (TSMC’s third-generation 3nm process) and custom cores as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. A benchmark leak revealed that the SoC’s performance cores ran at 4.20GHz, with its single-core and multi-core scores equal to the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
With the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 less than two weeks away, whatever you have been wanting to know about Qualcomm’s latest and greatest has been summarized in our rumor roundup, so make sure to check it out if you want to remain up-to-date.