Over the past few years, Qualcomm has adopted a popular habit that we see with some smartphone OEMs to update flagships in the second half of the year. The first time we saw this it was for the Snapdragon 855 Plus. Last year it was the Snapdragon 865 Plus. So what’s going to happen this year?
Connected: Snapdragon SoC Guide: All Qualcomm Smartphone Processors Explained
According to several leakers, things could be different. Allegedly a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Pro could be on the way. However, the rumors are confusing and in some cases contradicting itself, so please take all of this information with some skepticism.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Pro – or Plus? Or both?
The most famous leaker who spreads this rumor is the Digital Chat Station (via MyFixGuide). According to DCS, Qualcomm is preparing to release a 4G-only version of the Snapdragon 888 with the model number SM8350. However, SM8350 is the model number of the SD888, so it’s likely that the model number has more in it, such as. B. letters (for example the SD865 Plus was SM8250-AB). Allegedly, this chip would be ideal for areas of the world where 5G is not available. It would also be ideal for Huawei, as the lack of 5G would likely allow the chip to bypass the US government’s Huawei ban. DCS and several other leakers claim that Huawei could bring this chipset to market in the upcoming Huawei P50 series.
Interestingly, the various leaks suggest that this chipset could be branded as Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Pro when it would only be 4G. The reason for this would be that the chip could be an overclocked version of the SD888, but without 5G access.
See also: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Series History: World-Class Android Processors
Of course, an overclocked version of the SD888 would more than likely be a Snapdragon 888 Plus, which Qualcomm now does on a regular basis. Confusingly, leakers also suggest that a SM8450 might also be in the works and suggest that it is the Snapdragon 888 Plus. However, this is also unlikely as the model number of the SM8450 is almost certainly reserved for the real successor to the SD888 (SD889, maybe?).
In other words, it’s possible Qualcomm has two updated versions of the SD888 on the way: a Plus and a Pro. One (or both?) Of them could just be 4G.
In all honesty, it sounds like a lot of information is being lost in the translation (most of these leaks are from China). If we had to guess, it’s possible an overclocked 4G-only SD888 could end up as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Plus and a 5G-based version as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Pro. That would make the most sense from a brand perspective.
Of course, given the ongoing global chip shortage, it is very possible that Qualcomm will have to throttle its ambitions for launching multiple chipsets this year. We’ll have to wait and see how that turns out.