Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3 may use TSMC's 2nm process to match Apple A20

TSMC is said to start accepting orders for its next-generation 2nm node from April 1, and joining Apple in the queue will be Qualcomm, if the latest rumors are to be believed. This means Qualcomm will be using the 2nm process for its upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3 chip, as well as another unidentified chip. Apple was believed to stick with the 3nm process for its A20 SoC, but recent leaks suggested the company will, in fact, upgrade to 2nm. 

Well-known leaker Digital Chat Station posted on Weibo about TSMC’s 2nm process and said that, along with Apple, Qualcomm will also use the same process, but for two different chips. These chips are the SM8950 and SM8945, with the former presumably being the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3 and the latter being the less powerful Snapdragon 8s series. Interestingly, the leaker also mentioned that these SoCs will arrive next year.

The current generation of flagship smartphones from Samsung, OnePlus, and other OEMs feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoCs, with the next generation, including the Galaxy S26 series, expected to come with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2. These phones will be released next year, so the mention of a new, improved SoC coming out in the same year sounds surprising. Apple, on the other hand, is said to be sticking with the 3nm process for the A19 chips powering its iPhone 17 series, which will be released later this year. However, the next year’s model will feature the A20 SoCs, which will be based on the 2nm process.

As for the SM8945 chips, these are believed to be the Snapdragon 8s Gen 6. While they are said to be based on the same 2nm process, they will likely come with nerfed CPUs and GPUs to power more budget-oriented devices.