A New Snapdragon Chip Is Coming—And It Might Be Built for ‘Flagship Killers’

Qualcomm appears to be prepping more than just its next-gen Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 (SM8850) for launch later this year. A second chip—model number SM8845—is quietly making waves in the leak circuit.

While it hasn’t been officially named, the buzz suggests it could land as the Snapdragon 8 Plus, slotting just below the Elite 2 but clearly a step up from the current Snapdragon 8s Gen 5.

The company is expected to showcase both SoCs at a launch event in late September, but the SM8845 may end up being the more interesting one for a broader slice of high-end smartphone users.

A Custom Core Design with Flagship DNA

According to reliable Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station, the SM8845 will bring Qualcomm’s custom Oryon cores—originally seen in the Snapdragon 8 Elite—into a new tier.

The design reportedly features an all-big-core layout, likely clocked at 3GHz or higher, with performance approaching the original 8 Elite.

It’s not just the CPU that gets a flagship touch. The GPU architecture is rumored to be the same as the one in the upcoming 8 Elite 2. Add in manufacturing on TSMC’s N3P process—a more advanced node than what powered last year’s chips—and you’re looking at a sub-premium SoC that borrows quite a lot from its premium siblings.

Big Batteries, Bigger Ambitions

Multiple smartphone brands, including Oppo, Vivo, Realme, and OnePlus, are reportedly building phones around this new chip. And they’re not playing it safe. Leaks suggest some of these devices could ship with massive 8,000mAh batteries, likely targeting gamers and power users who don’t want to sacrifice performance or endurance.

That gives the SM8845 a unique spot in Qualcomm’s ecosystem: a high-performance chip with the potential to power aggressively priced phones that still deliver most of the premium experience.

Will the Original 8 Elite Get Pushed Out?

One key question is whether the SM8845 will replace or overlap with the first-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite. With performance being comparable but manufacturing and efficiency slightly better, it’s not hard to imagine OEMs favoring the newer chip—especially if it brings down costs and opens up new product categories.

That’s where this rumored “Snapdragon 8 Plus” label makes sense. It fills the gap between the 8s Gen 5 and the 8 Elite 2, acting as a bridge for brands looking to launch upper-tier smartphones without going all-in on the top-end silicon.

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