Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: Qualcomm CEO confirms new 2 nm refresh with two foldables rumoured
Rumours that Samsung Foundry has been sampling a new version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 have been rumbling on for months. Currently, Qualcomm uses TSMC's N3P manufacturing process for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which underpins recent flagships like the OnePlus 15 (curr. $899.99 on Amazon). A 3 nm-class node, N3P offers modest transitor density and performance improvements over TSMC's older N3E processor while reducing power consumption too.
Nonetheless, Qualcomm CEO Cristano Amon has now gone on record during CES 2026 confirming past rumours regarding rumours of a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 underpinned by Samsung Foundry rather than TSMC:
Among several chip design companies, we began discussions with Samsung Electronics first regarding foundry production utilising the latest 2-nanometer process...We have also completed the design work, aiming for commercialisation soon.
Unfortunately, Amon has not shed any further details on Qualcomm's plans regarding a 2 nm version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. However, Hankyung Insight cites industry insiders who believe that Samsung Foundry is set to assume roughly 10% of future Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 production. Reportedly, this SM8850s variant will only power a handful of devices too, with Jukan specifying merely the Galaxy Z Flip8 and Galaxy Z Fold8 rather than the forthcoming Galaxy S26 series, too.
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