Qualcomm today announced two new flagship smartphone processors, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, designed with a focus on facilitating enhanced AI-focused features. The announcement was made at the company's annual Snapdragon Summit.
The new chips are intended to aid in improved personalisation for AI agents. They incorporate new sensing hubs capable of running small models of up to 200 million parameters. This functionality allows smartphones to run a personal scribe locally, differentiate between speakers, and build memory based on usage for better task automation suggestions. Qualcomm stated that the new chip can run a complete voice-in and voice-out agent.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 includes a new accelerator element for more efficient model execution. The higher-end Extreme version is capable of running a 30 billion parameter mixture-of-experts (MoE) model locally, meaning it activates a specific number of parameters for a given task. For comparison, Apple released a 20-billion-parameter mixture-of-experts model in June.
Beyond AI, the new Qualcomm CPU offers pixel-level control for cameras, aiming for more professional experiences, alongside improved stabilisation and motion understanding. The Extreme version supports video recording at 8k60fps and 4K240 for ultra HD slow-motion, and enables the new Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec for professional-level recording.
Both chips also leverage AI to boost vocals and reduce noise, and feature Qualcomm's new voice bubble technology, which isolates user noise during calls. Motorola announced its Motorola Signature 27 smartphone, powered by the Snapdragon Gen 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, with general availability expected sometime this year.