Qualcomm just announced the upgrade of the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, which should run the best Android phones that launch next year. It appears that the new chip will also support major software updates for quite some time.
During the recent Snapdragon Summit, Chris Patrick, Qualcomm’s SVP and GM Mobile Handset, announced to assembled journalists that the new system-on-chip would support up to eight years of Android operating system updates (via Android Authority). According to the report, that support includes the current OS version, which means you can expect seven years of Android upgrades (assuming phone makers release that many).
This means that Android phone manufacturers can support their devices for as long as they care to do so. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean every handset maker will support older devices for eight or seven years. They must customize their Android skins and features to work with the built-in Qualcomm Android board support package. Several Android device makers, including Sony and Motorola, are known to only offer one Android update and maybe three or four years of security updates.
Existing Qualcomm chips like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 can support up to four operating system upgrades and four years of security patches. This has been a goal of Qualcomm to enable manufacturing partners to keep updating older phones for longer.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite is being built with the 3nm process, significantly improving the current 4nm processor used in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Transistors are packed closer together, improving performance and power efficiency. It should be quite a powerful chip.
Additionally, Qualcomm is swapping out the Kryo CPU from previous SoCs for a mobile-optimized Oryon CPU, the same as the Snapdragon X Elite silicon used in Microsoft’s Copilot+ PCs released this summer.
Luckily, new phones with the Snapdragon 8 Elite are coming soon.These include the Asus ROG Phone 9, which should launch in November. Honor showed off the Magic 7 during the Snapdragon Summit, and that phone will debut on October 30, though it may take a few months before it hits US shores.
Will all Snapdragon 8 Elite phones get 8 years of updates?
Qualcomm has confirmed that the Snapdragon X Elite will get eight years of support, but Android updates are offered by phone manufacturers. While brands like Samsung and Google have already upped their game and are offering seven years of OS updates for the Galaxy S24 and the Pixel 9 series, manufacturers like Xiaomi, Realme, Oppo, and others are yet to update their software update policy.
Companies like Motorola, who are often known to delay software updates, also recently announced that the Edge 50 Neo, its newest mid-range device, will get five years of updates. However, given the company’s track record, it will be interesting to see if it follows through on its promise.