The first smartphones equipped with the purported Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 and Dimensity 9500 chipsets will arrive earlier than previously anticiapted this year, according to details shared by a tipster. Chinese smartphone makers are usually the first to introduce new handsets equipped with the latest flagship chipsets from Qualcomm and MediaTek, while Samsung typically launches new high-end smartphones in January. Previous reports suggest Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 will arrive with notable performance upgrades over the chipmaker’s current flagship chipset.
Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, Dimensity 9500 Launch Timeline (Expected)
According to a post by tipster Digital Chat Station (translated from Chinese) on Weibo, the first smartphones with the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 or Dimensity 9500 will be launched in October. However, the user also claims that some manufacturers might unveil new smartphones by September.
It’s worth noting that Qualcomm typically unveils its flagship chipset in October, at its annual Snapdragon Summit event. Smartphone makers usually announce new handsets with the chipset a few weeks later — Xiaomi and Realme have been the first to unveil new flagship models in recent years.
Last year, the same tipster claimed that Qualcomm’s SM8850 chipset, which is expected to be the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, will be produced using TSMC’s N3P fabrication process. The chipset is tipped to offer “significantly improved” GPU performance, compared to the current model, which is produced using TSMC’s N3E process technology.
On the other hand, the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 could be equipped with two Cortex-X930 prime cores dubbed “Travis” and six Cortex-A730 “Gelas” performance cores, according to the tipster. Unlike the Dimensity 9400, which is equipped with only performance cores, this year’s model could use a 2+6 configuration. The upcoming chipset is also expected to be produced using TSMC’s N3P fabrication process, delivering better performance and efficiency.
While the Chinese tipster has a good track record of leaking accurate information about upcoming flagship smartphones, it’s worth noting that the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 and Dimensity 9500 are not expected to arrive until early October. It’s worth taking these claims with a grain of salt, and we’re likely to hear more details about these chips in the coming weeks and months, ahead of their anticipated debut.
