Xiaomi 17 successor: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 in Xiaomi 18 and next-gen modems discovered in HyperOS 3
Who dares to glimpse into the future? Well-known code analyst Erencan Yılmaz, who recently discovered concrete clues about the Leica camera sensors installed in the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, has just given (via Xiaomitime) an early glimpse into September 2026, when the Xiaomi 18 Pro will likely compete against Apple's iPhone 18 Pro. As can be seen from the code sections below, the current HyperOS 3 code already contains references to upcoming Qualcomm products, most notably a chipset with the model number SM8950, which is likely to be the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 to come with Qualcomm X90 modem
Unlike this year, when the final name of the successor to the Snapdragon 8 Elite was unclear for a long time, the Snapdragon 8 Elite's Generation 6 release in 2026 is likely a given. The same applies to the continuation of the Qualcomm modem series, which switched from the Snapdragon brand to Qualcomm this year. Following the Snapdragon X80 and the current Qualcomm X85 (in the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5), it is hardly surprising that the SDX90 and SDX95 modems are hidden in Xiaomi's code. These will likely be unveiled as the Qualcomm X90 in 2026 and the Qualcomm X95 in 2027, both at the Mobile World Congress, provided the current release schedule remains unchanged. Of course, none of this provides any practical information for smartphone users at this stage, but the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 is likely to provide a significant leap in performance and efficiency, as it will probably be manufactured via the TSCM 2nm process for the first time.
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Image: Weibo
