Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 3 Could Come in Two Flavors — Here’s Why It Matters

Apple has an interesting chipset strategy for its iPhones. To differentiate its Pro and Pro Max models from the base iPhone and Plus models, Apple uses different chips. For example, the latest iPhone 16 series has the base iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus using the A18 chip. The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max use the more powerful A18 Pro. Now, Qualcomm could adopt a similar strategy using two variants of the Snapdragon 8 Elite 3.

Two Snapdragon 8 Elite 3 variants incoming

According to a recent post on Weibo by tipster Digital Chat Station, they suggest that for the Snapdragon 8 Elite 3, which is due next year, Qualcomm could introduce two variants of the chipset. This is similar to Apple’s approach to the iPhone chips with the base A-series chip and the A-Pro series chip.

However, the post notes that while there might be two variants, they will all be made using TSMC’s 2nm process.

It’s actually not a bad idea for Qualcomm to adopt the two-variant strategy. Qualcomm has been criticized for raising its chipset prices over the years. Offering phone makers a potentially cheaper base Snapdragon 8 Elite 3 model could persuade these companies to continue using Qualcomm’s chips instead of an alternative, like MediaTek.

However, this doesn’t mean we won’t see a price increase anyway. The post notes that costs could rise, so we’re probably looking at more expensive flagship phones in 2026 and 2027. Qualcomm will announce the chipset in the later part of 2026, but most flagship phones will use the chipset in 2027.

Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 coming later this year

The shift to a two-variant chip strategy only applies to the Snapdragon 8 Elite 3 and onwards. This year, Qualcomm plans to launch the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. Leaked benchmarks suggest that we will see considerable improvements in both the CPU and GPU departments. We’re talking AnTuTu scores of over 4 million.

However, Qualcomm is expected to face stiff competition from MediaTek this year. MediaTek also plans to debut its flagship Dimensity 9500 slightly earlier than Qualcomm. Benchmarks have also revealed that despite using a different CPU configuration, the Dimensity 9500 is a performance beast.

In any case, it’s too early to tell if the two-variant chip strategy is true. So, until Qualcomm announces something, take it with a grain of salt.