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October 9, 2026 • 2 min read
What you may already know: Qualcomm has announced two new flagship chipsets — the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. What you may not know is that Samsung might not be the first to use either of them. So, which phones could beat Samsung to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chipsets?
Turns out, iQOO, Xiaomi, and Motorola could beat Samsung to the race. Qualcomm showcased both chipsets at India Mobile Congress 2026 in New Delhi today. The media-only briefing also featured its smartphone partners, who offered an early look at their upcoming flagship phones.
Meet Samsung’s Snapdragon rivals from Motorola, iQOO, and Xiaomi
Motorola confirmed that its upcoming Signature 27 will use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. The company highlighted AI features, camera upgrades, and seven years of OS upgrades and security updates. It also described the phone as its most advanced smartphone yet.
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Motorola Signature 27 breaks cover at IMC 2026. | Source: Abhinav Anand/SammyGuru
iQOO also previewed the iQOO 16, confirming that its next flagship in India will use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6.
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iQOO 16 showcased at IMC 2026. | Source: Abhinav Anand/SammyGuru
Xiaomi confirmed that the Xiaomi 18 Pro will launch in India with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6. Yes, not the Extreme one. The phone features a dual-screen design and two 200MP rear cameras, giving Xiaomi another flagship to compete with Samsung.
Xiaomi 18 Pro will come with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6. | Source: Abhinav Anand/SammyGuru
Qualcomm says its new platforms focus on AI, gaming, camera improvements, and connectivity. The company also called its new CPU the world’s fastest mobile CPU, pointing to its 5GHz clock speed. During the briefing, Qualcomm discussed how AI agents could move beyond answering prompts to carrying out actions based on what users want to do.
Samsung hasn’t confirmed which chipset its next Galaxy flagships will use. However, the Galaxy S27 series is expected to arrive next year, giving these manufacturers an opportunity to bring their new phones to market first.
Of course, reaching the market first doesn’t automatically mean delivering the better phone. We’ll have to wait for the devices to launch before comparing their real-world performance, cameras, battery life, and software experiences.
Written by
Abhinav Anand is the News Editor at SammyGuru and a technology journalist based in New Delhi. Before joining SammyGuru, he contributed to numerous outlets, including Android Headlines, ExtremeTech, The Mac Observer, Financial Express, Economic Times, iGeeksBlog, KnowTechie, PhonesWiki, SlashGear, and more. You can reach him at [email protected].