The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus may be here quicker than expected

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 might stand to get much more recognition soon, as the platform behind the new Samsung Galaxy S22 flagship line (in markets such as the US, that is). However, it now seems that Qualcomm is looking to a future beyond the new chipset already. It has reportedly put more pressure on the factories it has partnered with to get shipments out sooner than planned in 2022.

The 8 Gen 1 is the successor to the Snapdragon 888, which implies potential for an 8 Gen 1 Plus as a next generation for the 888+ in turn. Accordingly, the "8 Gen 1 Plus" has been thought to emerge as an iterative processor upgrade in the second half of the year. It is reportedly manufactured by TSMC - very possibly at the time of writing - whereas the 'plain' Gen 1 has been produced by Samsung.

However, according to the Weibo-based leaker "Mobile Chip Expert" (Google-translated), Qualcomm now wants to accelerate its release cycle this year. This, apparently, has involved asking TSMC to deliver this order "early, to replace the current Snapdragon 8 Gen 1".

It is not exactly clear why Qualcomm seems to want to defeat the purpose of buying an 8 Gen 1-powered smartphone now, with the prospect of their immediate upgrades looming over many buying decisions. On the other hand, early indications of sincere competition from MediaTek might help explain why the OEM needs a newer and possibly slightly better flagship processor in 2022 all of a sudden.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 series is available to pre-order on Amazon now.