Qualcomm has unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, with the flagship chipset getting a new name and exciting upgrades on the hardware front, including the latest Arm cores, new AI engine, and imaging tweaks that will allow phones that leverage the platform to take much better photos.
We don't have to wait long to see the first phones with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1; the Xiaomi 12 will be the first to use the platform, with a launch slated for sometime in December. We should also see one of the BBK entities follow suit shortly thereafter, and with Nubia, Motorola, and Honor on the list, the best Android phones will once again use the latest Qualcomm design. Here's the full list:
- Xiaomi
- Redmi
- OnePlus
- OPPO
- Vivo
- Realme
- Nubia
- Black Shark
- Motorola
- iQOO
- Honor
- Sony
- ZTE
- SHARP
Now, Samsung isn't mentioned here, and that's normal. Samsung is always missing from Qualcomm's list of phone partners, but the Galaxy S22 will use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in North America and select global markets.
What's interesting in that list is the inclusion of Redmi; Xiaomi's sub-brand is focused on the budget and mid-range segments, but last year it started using the Snapdragon 888 on the Redmi K40 Pro that eventually debuted globally as the Mi 11X Pro.
Next year's OnePlus 10 series is also going to use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and with the OPPO integration now finalized, there should be even more similarities to the Find X5. Vivo, similarly, is going to use the Qualcomm design in the X80 series, with all three manufacturers set to launch their flagships in Q1. Realme is also set to roll out the GT 2 Pro featuring the Gen 1.
Then we have Motorola with the Edge X30, Nubia, Vivo sub-brand iQOO, Sony, and Honor, with all of these manufacturers set to launch phones sometime over the course of 2022. Qualcomm is touting heady gains with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and we'll have to get our hands on the first set of devices to see how it differs to the Snapdragon 888.
