Qualcomm's annual Snapdragon Summit is set for September 22 to 24, where it will officially unveil the next generation of Snapdragon 8 Elite chips. Several manufacturers, including Xiaomi, vivo, and Oppo, plan to launch their flagship series this month, with rumors suggesting that Xiaomi will be the first to debut its new models.
The Xiaomi 18 series will include three versions: the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max, which features two 200MP cameras (including a main sensor with a size of 1/1.28” LOFIC), the Xiaomi 18 Pro, which boasts a larger rear display and potentially a Privacy Display feature, and the Xiaomi 18 itself, slightly larger with a 6.4” screen and a robust 7,200mAh battery.
Regarding the new chips, both the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro will be manufactured using a 2nm process node, although it remains uncertain if this will be handled by Samsung or TSMC. These chipsets will utilize next-generation Oryon CPU cores arranged in a 2+3+3 configuration. The standard Elite chip will integrate an Adreno 845 GPU along with 12MB of on-chip graphics memory, and an additional 6MB of last-level cache (LLC). Meanwhile, the Elite Pro is expected to feature an Adreno 850 GPU with 18MB of graphics memory and 8MB of LLC. There is also a non-Elite Snapdragon 8 Gen 6 in development.
Xiaomi 18 render courtesy of Digital Chat StationThe introduction of this three-tier structure is primarily cost-driven, with early reports estimating the price of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro at an eye-watering $300. Consequently, only the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max will be equipped with the Elite Pro chip, with the potential addition of the Xiaomi 18 Ultra later, while the standard Xiaomi 18 and 18 Pro models will utilize the regular Elite chip.
However, it is worth noting that the launch of these three phones will not occur simultaneously. The reports indicate that the Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max will be released in September, claiming the title of the “first phones featuring the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6-series,” while the smaller Xiaomi 18 is expected to be released in October.
As a reminder, the Xiaomi 17 series made headlines last year as the first phones to utilize the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
Source
