Qualcomm today announced two new flagship mobile processors, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, emphasizing on-device artificial intelligence capabilities. The company presented the chips at its annual Snapdragon Summit.
On-device AI and personalization
According to Qualcomm, the new SoCs enable more personalized AI experiences. Both chips include a new sensing hub able to run small models locally of up to 200 million parameters. With this sensing hub, phones can operate a personal scribe locally, distinguish between speakers, and build memory from usage patterns to provide better automation suggestions.
Qualcomm also said the chip can run a complete voice-in and voice-out agent on-device.
Accelerator design and large local models
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 includes a new accelerator element intended to run models more efficiently. The higher-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 can run a 30-billion-parameter mixture-of-experts (MoE) model locally — meaning the total model size is 30B parameters but only a subset of parameters activates for a specific task.
For comparison, at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in June, Apple released a 20-billion-parameter mixture-of-experts model as the most advanced of its third-generation foundation models.
Professional video and camera control
The new Qualcomm CPU offers pixel-level control for cameras to enable more pro-level experiences, along with improved stabilization and motion understanding. The Extreme variant supports video recording at 8K 60 fps and ultra-HD slow motion at 4K 240 fps. It also enables the Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec for professional-grade recording.
Audio enhancements and noise isolation
Both chips use AI to enhance vocals and reduce noise. Qualcomm’s new voice bubble technology isolates the user’s noise during calls to improve call clarity.
Partners and market positioning
At the event, Motorola announced the Motorola Signature 27 smartphone, which will be powered by the Snapdragon Gen 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6; general availability is expected sometime this year.
Qualcomm said it is working on more than 40 AI devices and reiterated the expectation that many users will prefer using their phones for AI functionality rather than separate dedicated devices. The company referenced similar views previously hinted at by Nothing co-founder Carl Pei, and noted that John Ternus, described in the presentation as Apple’s new leader, reinforced the same line of thought during the iPhone Duo launch earlier this month.
