The rumor turned out to be right. The Qualcomm chip with model number SM8845 did launch as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, a step below the company’s top flagship, which arrived as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Here is how Qualcomm’s confusing naming shook out, which phones use each chip, and what replaced them in 2026.
What the rumor said, and what actually happened
In the summer of 2025, leaks pointed to two high end Snapdragon chips for the next generation of Android phones. The flagship, SM8850, was expected to be called something like Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. A second chip, SM8845, was tipped to bring back the older Snapdragon 8 Gen naming and land as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, slotting between the flagship and the cheaper 8s series.
Half of that prediction landed. Qualcomm did use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 name for SM8845. The flagship, however, was not called Elite 2. Qualcomm folded the generation number into the Elite brand instead and launched it as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, so both chips share the Gen 5 label even though they target very different price points.
| Model number | Official name | Announced | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| SM8850 | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 | September 2025 | Top flagship |
| SM8845 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 | November 2025 | Premium, one tier lower |
| SM8950 | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 | September 2026 | New flagship |
| SM8975 | Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 | September 2026 | Highest tier |
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: the 2025 flagship
Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 at its Snapdragon Summit on September 24, 2025. It uses the third generation of Qualcomm’s custom Oryon CPU cores, with peak speeds of up to 4.6 GHz, and it powered most of the big Android flagships that followed.
- OnePlus 15: one of the first phones announced with the chip, with a global launch in November 2025.
- Xiaomi 17 series: launched first in China in the fall of 2025.
- Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: uses a tuned version called Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, which Qualcomm announced in February 2026.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: the SM8845 chip
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 followed in late November 2025. Qualcomm describes it as bringing premium performance to a wider range of phones. It also uses an Oryon CPU, with peak speeds of up to 3.8 GHz, along with an Adreno GPU and a Hexagon NPU for on device AI. Qualcomm compared it with the older Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 rather than with the Elite chip, which tells you where it sits.
At launch Qualcomm named iQOO, Honor, Meizu, Motorola, OnePlus and vivo as device partners. The OnePlus 15R, which debuted globally on December 17, 2025, was the first phone to ship with it. These phones typically cost noticeably less than Elite models while still offering flagship level speed for apps, photos and most games.
What came next in 2026
Qualcomm held its 2026 Snapdragon Summit in Maui from September 22 to 24 and again split its flagship into two tiers. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 is the standard model, and the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 sits above it.
- Both are built on a TSMC 2nm class process.
- Both have eight Oryon CPU cores: two prime cores at up to 5.0 GHz and six performance cores at up to 4.0 GHz.
- The Extreme tier adds extra GPU resources, a faster NPU, LPDDR6 memory support and AI based graphics upscaling and frame generation for games.
Qualcomm says nine phone makers have committed to the new chips, including Honor, iQOO, Motorola, OnePlus, Oppo, Redmi, RedMagic, vivo and Xiaomi. Early devices named so far include the Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, the Motorola Signature 27 and the Honor Magic 9 Pro Max, with more launches expected through the end of 2026. US availability varies by brand, so check each phone’s launch details before you wait for one.
FAQ
Is SM8845 the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5?
Yes. The rumor was accurate: SM8845 launched as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 in November 2025.
What is the difference between Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 and 8 Elite Gen 5?
The Elite Gen 5 is Qualcomm’s top 2025 flagship with faster CPU cores, up to 4.6 GHz. The 8 Gen 5 is a step down, peaking at 3.8 GHz, and appears in less expensive phones.
Was there ever a Snapdragon 8 Elite 2?
No. That was a rumored name. Qualcomm launched the chip as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 instead.
Should I wait for an 8 Elite Gen 6 phone?
If you want the fastest Android phone and can wait, yes. If you need a phone now, an 8 Elite Gen 5 or 8 Gen 5 model is still very capable and will likely get cheaper as new phones arrive.
The verdict
The SM8845 rumor was right about the name, and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 became a solid middle ground below the 8 Elite Gen 5. A year later both are already a generation old, with the 8 Elite Gen 6 and 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 now rolling out, which makes late 2026 a good time to find a fast Gen 5 phone at a lower price.
Updated October 2026: rewritten to resolve the SM8845 rumor, with the chips Qualcomm actually launched, the phones that use them and the new Gen 6 lineup.
Featured photo: Harrison Broadbent on Unsplash.
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