Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro leaks with 4.8 million AnTuTu score
A leaked benchmark for Qualcomm's SM8975 chipset suggests a shift to 2nm fabrication and a modest performance bump.
Qualcomm's next-generation flagship silicon has appeared in early benchmarks, signaling the performance ceiling for 2026 Android devices. A leaked AnTuTu run for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro suggests a steady, if not explosive, increase in raw computing power.
The chipset, identified internally as the SM8975, recorded a total score of 4,835,412 points in an AnTuTu V11.1.4 test run. The breakdown includes 1,368,930 points for the CPU and 1,854,826 points for the GPU. These figures represent a modest gain over the previous generation, as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 typically scores between 4 million and 4.6 million points.
The shift to 2nm
This performance trajectory arrives as the semiconductor industry undergoes a critical transition in fabrication. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro is rumored to be manufactured using a 2nm process, a move that places Qualcomm at the forefront of the competition between TSMC and Samsung for high-end contracts. While the raw benchmark increase is incremental, the move to a smaller node typically aims to improve power efficiency and thermal management rather than just peak speed.
Hardware differentiation
Beyond the fabrication process, the leak highlights a clear divide between the Pro and standard variants of the chip. The Pro model is expected to feature the Adreno 850 GPU, equipped with 18MB of on-chip graphics memory. In contrast, the non-Pro version is expected to utilize the Adreno 845 GPU with a smaller 12MB of on-chip memory. This tiered approach allows manufacturers to segment their flagship offerings based on gaming and professional rendering capabilities.
Industry implications
As the primary engine for the next wave of Android flagships, the SM8975's performance sets the benchmark for the mobile ecosystem. While a 5% to 6% gain in AnTuTu scores may seem marginal, the transition to 2nm fabrication is vital for sustaining the demands of AI-heavy workloads. Efficiency gains at the hardware level are increasingly necessary to support on-device generative AI without compromising battery life or causing thermal throttling.
What to watch
Qualcomm typically provides official details during its annual Snapdragon Summit. Until then, several key specifications remain unconfirmed. While the benchmark scores provide a glimpse into raw power, the industry is still waiting for verified data on clock speeds and the specific core configuration of the new Oryon CPU. The primary question remains whether the 2nm process will deliver the efficiency breakthroughs required to justify the generational leap.