Qualcomm unveiled two new premium mobile processors today: the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, both built with a strong emphasis on powering enhanced AI capabilities. During the company's annual Snapdragon Summit, Qualcomm explained that these chips are designed to deliver more personalized experiences for AI agents.

A key addition is a set of new sensing hubs capable of running compact models with as many as 200 million parameters. Thanks to this sensing hub, a smartphone can operate a personal scribe entirely on-device and even tell different speakers apart. It can also construct memory from your usage patterns to offer smarter suggestions for automating tasks. According to Qualcomm, the new chip is powerful enough to run a full voice-in, voice-out agent.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 introduces a new accelerator component built to execute models more efficiently. Meanwhile, the top-tier Extreme variant can run a 30-billion-parameter mixture-of-experts (MoE) model directly on the device. In this setup, although the total model size is 30B, only a subset of parameters gets activated for any given task. By way of comparison, Apple introduced a 20-billion-parameter mixture-of-experts model at its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in June — the most sophisticated entry in its third generation of foundation models.

Beyond AI, the new Qualcomm CPU offers pixel-level camera control for more professional-grade results, alongside better stabilization and motion detection. The Extreme version supports video capture at 8K 60fps and 4K240 for ultra HD slow-motion. It also brings support for the new Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec aimed at professional recording. Additionally, both chips leverage AI to enhance vocals and cut down background noise. They also feature Qualcomm's new voice bubble technology, which isolates a user's voice during calls.

At the event, Motorola introduced its Motorola Signature 27 smartphone, running on the Snapdragon Gen 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, with broad availability expected later this year. Qualcomm has been developing more than 40 AI devices, yet the company still believes many people will turn to their phones for AI rather than dedicated gadgets. Nothing co-founder Carl Pei has previously hinted at this direction, and more recently, new Apple CEO John Ternus echoed the same sentiment during the iPhone Duo launch earlier this month.