The first smartphones with Qualcomm’s next top processor inside are almost here. We already know Xiaomi will be the first out with a Snapdragon 8 Elite 2-equipped phone, but now it seems Realme will be along soon afterwards, if the latest rumors are accurate.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, or the SM8850, follows the current Snapdragon 8 Elite, which is found in many major smartphones including the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the OnePlus 13. During an earnings call at the end of July, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon confirmed Xiaomi would be the first manufacturer to launch a phone with the brand’s next Snapdragon 8 Elite processor.
He stopped short of stating when, or confirming the name of the chip, but it’s likely to be around the end of September or early October, based on the September 23 start date for Qualcomm’s annual developer summit, where the chip itself is likely to make its debut. It’s unclear if the name will simply be the 8 Elite 2, or the 8 Elite Gen 2.
With Xiaomi confirmed to be the first with the new chip, it seems Realme will be close behind with the next.
With Xiaomi confirmed to be the first with the new chip, it seems Realme will be close behind with the next. The Realme GT 8 series, which could include a standard GT 8 and a GT 8 Pro phone, is rumored to arrive in October with the 8 Elite 2 inside, according to Digital Chat Station, a mobile industry news source on Chinese social media platform Weibo.
The GT 8’s release timeline apparently also comes from Realme’s Wang Wei, as reported by GizmoChina, who also promised a new design and various surprises from the new series. The processor may be one of the surprises, while another may be the inclusion of a 7,000mAh battery, along with a possible 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera.
Realme feels the heat
Realme was quick off the mark to include the Snapdragon 8 Elite in a smartphone, with the launch of the Realme GT 7 at the end of 2024. It ran into some issues with cooling at the time, which were fixed through various software updates, but it remains unclear whether the phone’s cooling system, the software, or the chip were at fault.
Both Realme and Qualcomm will be eager not to run into the same problems with the GT 8, if it does end up featuring the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. Following the Xiaomi and Realme phones, it’s highly likely the OnePlus 15 will come with the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, and it’s possible the phone will launch in China before the end of the year.
While the Xiaomi and Realme phones will predominantly get a China and European launch only, the OnePlus 15 should be released in the U.S. in the early part of 2026, provided the company follows its previous launch schedules. We’ll learn more about the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 at the end of September.
