While the tech world eagerly awaits the launch of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 (or potentially 8 Elite), rumors are already circulating about its successor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. Qualcomm’s premium chip for 2025 is reportedly in development, with intriguing details emerging about its potential manufacturing process and performance capabilities.
According to a post by a user known as “The Undead” on the Chinese social network Weibo, Qualcomm may be planning to adopt a dual-supplier strategy for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. The chip, currently referred to by the model number SM8850, could be manufactured by both Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Samsung.
TSMC is rumored to use its 3nm N3P process, expected to debut in 2025, while Samsung would employ its 2nm-class SF2 process. This dual-supplier approach could lead to performance variations between the two versions of the chip.
The leak suggests that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 may maintain a similar core configuration to its predecessor, featuring two high-performance cores and six efficiency cores, all based on Qualcomm’s proprietary architecture.
However, the chip is rumored to operate at significantly higher frequencies, potentially reaching up to 5 GHz. This boost in clock speed could potentially place the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 “at the top of the Geekbench 6 ranking.”
Interestingly, the high clock speeds are said to be exclusive to the TSMC-manufactured variant. While details about the Samsung-produced version are scarce, it’s speculated that it may have advantages due to the more advanced manufacturing process.
The idea of Qualcomm working with multiple suppliers isn’t new, with rumors circulating for several generations. However, since the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, TSMC has been the exclusive manufacturer of Qualcomm’s premium 8-series chips. This exclusivity was reportedly due to Samsung’s lower production yields, which resulted in limited usable chipsets and higher manufacturing costs.
It’s important to note that these details are still rumors and subject to change. With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5’s launch over a year away, many aspects of its development could be altered. The possibility of TSMC remaining the exclusive supplier, as in recent generations, cannot be ruled out.
As the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 progresses through its development stages, more concrete information is expected to emerge in the coming months.
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