Xiaomi has already started working on adapting its HyperOS to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
The third rooster hasn 't yet croaked and most manufacturers haven't even had time to present their flagships on Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and Xiaomi is already thinking about how its HyperOS will work with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 (SM8950). Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 has already been mentioned in the code of the latest HyperOS builds.
The new chip will be the basis of the Xiaomi 18 series, which is due out at the end of 2026. The HyperOS code mentions not only the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 processor, but also its modem, the Snapdragon X90. The next generation, Gen 7, is expected to switch to the Snapdragon X95 modem.
To understand the evolution:
- SM8950 - Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
- SM8850 - Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- SM8750 - Snapdragon 8 Elite
- SM8650 - Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
- SM8550 - Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- SM8475 - Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
- SM8450 - Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
As you can see, the marketing name can change at any time, but the engineering markings are quite stable.
What it means.
From this leak, we cannot get information about the chip's characteristics. By and large, its production has not yet begun, so there is a possibility that Xiaomi 18 may even come out with a different chip. However, it is clear that Xiaomi has clear agreements and a development roadmap, and Qualcomm maintains close ties with Xiaomi. Because of this, Xiaomi programmers already have an idea of what they will have to work with next year and they are starting to integrate future solutions without waiting for the last moment.