Qualcomm launches Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Extreme Gen 6; Motorola Signature 27 debuts

Both chips are built on a 2nm process and share modems, display specs, security features, GPS, and memory and storage support, The Verge reported. Qualcomm says they use a 2+6 Oryon CPU layout with two prime cores up to 5GHz and six performance cores up to 4GHz, plus 16MB of Oryon FlexCache, according to Android Authority. Qualcomm told Android Authority it would not confirm the Oryon core generation but called it a "new, custom-built" successor to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 CPU. The CPU supports SME but not SME2, in line with last year's chip; Qualcomm says workloads targeted by SME2 are better served by its NPU or GPU.

Qualcomm claims the Gen 6 series CPU is 37 percent more efficient than the Gen 5 CPU. The Extreme CPU is 13 percent faster than the previous generation, while the standard Gen 6 CPU is 10 percent faster, according to Android Authority. Both chips have an upgraded Adreno GPU with three slices at 1.45GHz, up from 1.2GHz. Qualcomm says both GPUs are 40 percent more efficient than the Gen 5 GPU; the standard GPU is 35 percent faster and the Extreme GPU 44 percent faster.

Differences between the two chips center on video, AI, and gaming. The standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6's Spectra ISP natively supports 8K video at up to 30fps, single images up to 320 megapixels, and triple cameras up to 64MP with zero shutter lag, Engadget reported. The Extreme chip supports 8K at 60fps, 4K at 240fps, the APV codec and, according to Engadget, the VVC codec. Engadget reported that the Extreme also has 50 percent more shared memory, 18MB of dedicated Adreno high-bandwidth memory, and Matrix Cores in the GPU for Adreno Neural Fusion, which Qualcomm says enables AI super resolution and frame generation with 40 percent power savings compared with its previous solution. The standard Gen 6 does not have dedicated Adreno HBM or Matrix Cores, Android Authority reported, even though Qualcomm described it as a successor to the Gen 5 chip that had Adreno HBM.

On AI, both chips have a Hexagon Element Accelerator for inference and a long context window of up to 32,000 tokens. TechCrunch reported that a new sensing hub can run small models up to 200 million parameters, power a local personal scribe, distinguish speakers, build memory from usage, and run a complete voice-in and voice-out agent. The Extreme chip can run a 30 billion parameter mixture-of-experts model locally; Apple released a 20 billion parameter MoE model at its Worldwide Developer Conference in June, according to TechCrunch. Both chips can use AI to boost vocals, reduce noise, and isolate a user's voice during calls.

Motorola's Signature 27, announced at the summit, is the first phone confirmed with the Extreme chip. Motorola calls it "the most advanced smartphone" it has ever created. It has a 50MP Sony LYTIA 910 main sensor and a 200MP periscope telephoto, up from 50MP, with images suggesting at least two more cameras. Android Authority reported likely telephoto and ultrawide 50MP sensors, though Motorola did not share those specs. The phone uses an "ArcticMesh" cooling system that Motorola says combines diamond-infused thermal gel, liquid metal, copper mesh, and a 3D vapor chamber. It has audio by Bang & Olufsen, the first Motorola phone with the branding, as part of a multi-year partnership.

The Signature 27 runs Android 17 with seven years of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates, matching Google and Samsung policies, Engadget and Android Authority reported. Motorola promises access to Gemini-adjacent AI tools including the video generator Omni and music generator Lyria. The design is aluminum with a "camera plane" holding four lenses and a flash in an arch layout; finishes include PANTONE Coal Smoke, with a woven texture, and a green finish that The Verge called PANTONE Capulet Olive and Android Authority called PANTONE Capulet Green. Motorola says the phone is expected to reach markets worldwide in 2026, including the US, unlike the original Signature. Display specs, price, and a release date were not announced.

Qualcomm says the two chips will be used by Vivo, Xiaomi, Oppo, Honor, iQoo, Nubia, OnePlus, Redmi, Redmagic, and ZTE, in addition to Motorola. The chips are Qualcomm's first 2nm silicon. The Verge reported they join Apple's A20 Pro and MediaTek's Dimensity 9600 Pro in bringing 2nm to smartphones; Android Authority described them as the third major 2nm chipset family, following Apple's A20 Pro and Samsung's Exynos 2600.