Very exciting months are approaching in the smartphone sector, with a large number of launches starting next January, when the new phones from OnePlus, Samsung and Xiaomi will be presented. What all of these phones have in common is that they use the best processor currently available for Android, the new Snapdragon 8 Elite, and for good reason.
Qualcomm's new cutting-edge processor is the most advanced and powerful yet, and that's what iPhone users can no longer brag about as much as they used to. However, reaching this level has not been easy or cheap; According to some leaks, manufacturers are paying up to $190 for each Snapdragon 8 Elite installed in their new phones, 20% more than the previous generationthe Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
Although the power and compatibility with AI have offset this price increase, it has not gone unnoticed by users, who find mobile phones increasingly expensive. And this is just the beginning. According to the latest leak published by Korean media Kipost, Qualcomm will increase the price again on its next generation of chips, tentatively known by different names, such as Snapdragon 8 Elite v2, Snapdragon 8 Elite 2nd Gen or Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2.
Concretely, we are talking about a price increase of 5%, exceed the barrier of 200 dollars for each token sold to manufacturers. This would be a big blow for brands, which will probably have to increase the price of the next generation of cell phones that will be presented at the end of next year, such as the Xiaomi 16 or the Samsung Galaxy S26.
Several factors explain the increase in the price of the new Qualcomm processor. The biggest change is to the manufacturing process, which another leak said was going to be based on TSMC N3P node; It is an improved version of the 3nm process used by TSMC in current chips and allows for higher transistor density for improved power and efficiency. Concretely, we are talking about a performance improvement of 20%, and if this is confirmed, all brands would like to use the new chip in their next phones.
This brings us to the second factor: lack of competition. Qualcomm remains alone at the top of the Android sector; Although MediaTek has released some very good chips over the past couple of years, it has always been a cut below, at least when it comes to raw power. Qualcomm is therefore convinced that it can raise the prices of its chips without fear; Things can change, especially if launches like the new Dimensity 9400 are up to par, and some brands like OPPO are already betting on MediaTek to offer a more competitive mobile phone in terms of cost.
