Anyone who follows all the latest technology news will know that there's always a major Android announcement made in the autumn.This time of year is when US firm Qualcomm reveals its next major update that will power the smartphones of the future, and there's a surprise in 2026.As expected, the company has lifted the lid of its flagship chip at its Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii but along with a new 8 Elite Gen 6 processor (which replaces last year's 8 Gen 5), there's also the surprise release of a 8 Elite Extreme option which pushes performance to another level.
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Home cooks call Ninja's new dual air fryer 'on another level' in three 'beautiful' colours Argos dishes out very cheap Samsung Galaxy phones, no wonder they are selling fast Both of these upgrades offer some serious performance gains.Devices that pack the Gen 6 inside will not only be faster but also deliver breakthrough AI capabilities, with Qualcomm boasting that enhanced mobile gaming will also be a big feature of the update, along with AI-powered camera capabilities with Advanced Professional Video (APV) support.Article continues below ADVERTISEMENTThis will help improve home movies shot on devices and offer more natural-looking photos and videos.Qualcomm's updates usually make things far more efficient as well, so we can probably expect longer battery life in the devices that include the Gen 6 platformsAnother bonus of the Gen 6 is that it works alongside Qualcomm's X105 5G Modem-RF, paving the way for 6G.
Now, you might be wondering what the point of 6G is when some of us are still struggling with 5G connectivity.Article continues below ADVERTISEMENTAs Ben Wood, Chief Analyst at FDM CCS Insights, explains: "The long rumble toward 6G is emerging as companies begin the road to deploying the technology by the end of the decade.We expect the first major milestone to be the 2028 Olympics in LA, where leading US network operators will fight to put a 6G stake in the ground with pre-commercial service." Article continues below ADVERTISEMENTSo, both of the new chips are clearly incredibly powerful, but the Extreme could be worth watching out for if you want a phone with better AI integration, supercharged gaming, next-generation wireless connectivity and cinema-grade video.We'll have to wait and see what devices are announced, but there are already plenty of Android phones that use Qualcomm processors, including Samsung, Motorola, Nothing and Xiaomi."Today marks a milestone as we introduce not one, but two new flagship mobile platforms, delivering agentic AI experiences that are immediate, personal, and adaptive," said Chris Patrick, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Mobile Handsets, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc."As the agentic AI age evolves, our multi-flagship strategy allows us to push the boundaries of what's possible for mobile while bringing our latest AI innovations to a broader range of premium devices.
By designing two innovative platforms, we're giving OEMs greater choice as we collectively shape the capabilities of the next generation of intelligent, personalised, mobile experiences.”
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