The Snapdragon 888 is now official and represents a huge advancement in graphics capabilities, photography, machine learning, and more.
Qualcomm’s new processor is expected to power a wide variety of high-end smartphones from a wide variety of manufacturers around the world. But what brands have confirmed their participation and phones? We have you covered with our overview.
Asus
Recognition: David Imel / Android Authority
Asus is no stranger to high-end Snapdragon silicon, using the Snapdragon 800 series processors in its ROG Phone and Zenfone lines. It has now been confirmed that the Snapdragon 888 will also be used.
In particular, mobile GM Brian Chen noted in an official video that his next ROG phone would use the brand new chipset. If Asus is using the silicon as is, it will be the first time it has not used a Plus chipset since the original ROG phone. However, the original phone actually used a Snapdragon 845 SoC with a speed cap.
Black shark
The game-focused brand Black Shark shipped two fascinating game phones for Black Shark 3 and Black Shark 3 Pro earlier this year. But it obviously doesn’t stop there.
The company affiliated with Xiaomi has confirmed that “the first batch” of Black Shark devices with Snapdragon 888 will be available in the first quarter of 2021. So, you should keep an eye on these phones and the above ROG phone if you want the best gaming experience.
LG
The Korean manufacturer has been using Snapdragon flagship silicon for years and is also announcing that it will launch the new processor in 2021. Unlike 2020, however, LG appears to be planning on using the Snapdragon 888 for more than just a phone.
“We will soon be able to find out more about LG’s 2021 devices leveraging this new Snapdragon 888 mobile platform,” said Matthew Crowley, LG general manager. We suspect the LG V70 will be one of those devices, but what about LG’s rollable phone or the successor to the Velvet? We just have to wait and see.
Motorola
One of the more interesting announcements came from Motorola when it was confirmed that the Snapdragon 888 will hit their devices next year. That wasn’t the interesting part, however, as the company had some notable news for the Moto G family in 2021.
“2021 will be the 10th generation of the Moto G, and nothing would make us prouder than to bring this family experience from the 800 series,” said Motorola mobile boss Sergio Bunac in a video. A press release that was subsequently sent to Android Authority also notes that “Qualcomm’s Advanced 800 Mobile Platform” will be added to the Moto G-Series.
We asked Motorola representatives to clarify exactly what this means as the wording suggests we may not see the Snapdragon 888 in the Moto G series. This could mean a Moto G device with a Snapdragon 855 or Snapdragon 865 is in the works instead.
Nubia
ZTE-affiliated Nubia brand has been shipping phones like the Red Magic game series in the past few years, which are generally a powerful experience without breaking the bank. So what can we expect next year?
“Our newest product will also feature this new Qualcomm Snapdragon flagship (processor) and be available in the first quarter of 2021,” stated a senior executive in a video clip.
OnePlus
OnePlus announced in a video on the Qualcomm website that it would launch a Snapdragon 888 flagship phone in the first half of 2021.
“We believe that the technological innovation of this flagship platform in the 5G, games, camera and other aspects will help OnePlus bring a high-end flagship to market in the first half of next year,” said a executive quotes proverb.
Presumably this will be the OnePlus 9 series, as the brand always launches a new numbered model in the first half of the year, followed by a T variant in the second half of the year.
Oppo
BBK brand Oppo has also confirmed that their Find X3 series flagship will offer the Snapdragon 888. In fact, the new phone was launched in the first quarter of 2021.
This isn’t the only Find X3 message we’ve received in the past few weeks, as Oppo also noted that the new phone would have full support for 10-bit color. From image capture to display and editing, you get more accurate, vivid colors on paper.
Realme
The budget brand Realme is no stranger to Snapdragon flagships, having recently launched the Realme X2 Pro and Realme X50 Pro. It doesn’t stop there as the company teased the Realme Race as their Snapdragon 888 flagship.
The OEM even showed a picture of the phone and revealed a fancy device with an Oreo-style quad rear camera. Unfortunately, the brand hasn’t announced any release details.
Vivo
BBK’s Vivo brand has also announced that it will “soon” launch phones with the Snapdragon 888 chipset. There were no further details, alluding to previous partnerships with Qualcomm for the X-Series, Nex-Series, S-Series, Iqoo-Series, and more.
The Iqoo 5 series, Iqoo Neo 3, Vivo Nex 3S and X50 Pro Plus were equipped with Snapdragon 865 silicon in 2020. So we can probably expect a similar situation next year.
Xiaomi
The value-driven brand is no stranger to Qualcomm’s flagship silicon, and it is also announced that the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 11 phone will offer the Snapdragon 888 in 2021.
Xiaomi executives also posted a banner on Weibo, claiming that the Snapdragon 888 will debut on the Mi 11 first. The company then confirmed this Android Authority that while the Mi 11 will be the first Snapdragon 888 phone, there is no word on whether it will be launched first or first.
Redmi GM Lu Weibing added to Weibo that Redmi would also offer the new processor, so those hoping for a successor to the Poco F2 Pro / Redmi K30 Pro may be in luck.
Who else?
Qualcomm also showed a graphic at its event listing all of the confirmed brands that will use the Snapdragon 888 over the next year. Brands not included in the list above but shown in this graphic include Meizu, Sharp and ZTE.
It’s also worth noting that big players like Google, Samsung, and Sony don’t appear here either. We wouldn’t read too much about it, however, as Google, Realme, and Sony were absent from the list from last year’s graph. And we know that both Realme and Sony released Snapdragon 865 phones.
Next: 5 things to consider about the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888