In 2026, major chipset makers, including Qualcomm, are expected to launch their first 2nm SoCs, with the San Diego firm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3 likely the name of the flagship. However, a rumor claims that due to the ridiculously high cost of wafers mass produced on the aforementioned lithography, several of Qualcomm’s phone partners will be unable to equip their premium devices with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3, which is why the company is said to have two versions in the works, following a similar strategy to Apple with its A18 and A18 Pro launches.
A dual-sourcing approach could also be explored by Qualcomm, as it can bring Samsung onboard for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3
The tipster Digital Chat Station has previously talked about Apple, MediaTek, and Qualcomm being forced to raise the prices of their chipsets because of the increased cost of 2nm wafer production. TSMC was said to have begun accepting orders on this manufacturing process from April 1, with the price of each unit estimated to be $30,000. Naturally, Qualcomm’s partners will be hesitant to switch to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3 because of the premium they have to fork over, but on Weibo, a new rumor claims that there will be two versions of next year’s flagship SoC.
The top-end variant should be recognized by the ‘SM8950’ and will be used in the absolute best of the best offerings. It will be targeted at consumers who have a penchant for carrying the pinnacle of cutting-edge smartphones. As for the SM8945, it could be positioned as Apple’s A18 or A19, offering the same flagship features, but with cut-down specifications such as reduced cache, lowered clock speeds on the CPU and GPU side, plus other trade-offs. For Qualcomm, sticking with one foundry partner for all future orders is not an ideal strategy, but it is not like the chipset maker has any choice here.
The company has been reported on several occasions to resurrect a dual-sourcing approach and utilize technologies from Samsung and TSMC. Unfortunately, the Korean giant continues to fumble the opportunities that come in its direction by being unable to improve its yields, but there is a possibility that the firm’s drought period ends later this year. Both of Samsung’s LSI and foundry division are aiming to increase 2nm GAA yields to 50 percent, with the goal to gradually bump up that figure to make mass production viable.
There was even a rumor doing the rounds claiming that Qualcomm had successful talks with Samsung about mass producing its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 for Galaxy, but we will wait for the chipset’s official launch later this year to learn more. For a multitude of phone makers who do not possess the resources to jumpstart their in-house ambitions, they will have no choice but to stick with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3, even if it is a less powerful version, while passing the cost increases to customers or sacrificing their margins.
News Source: Digital Chat Station
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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