Qualcomm says Snapdragon 8 Elite phones can support up to 8 Android OS upgrades

Qualcomm's newest Snapdragon 8 Elite delivers significant enhancements in performance, featuring on-device multimodal intelligence that will allow smartphones to integrate generative artificial intelligence capabilities natively. Additionally, the next generation of flagship Android smartphones will be able to receive up to eight years of Android OS updates.

According to Qualcomm’s SVP and GM, Christopher Patrick, the Snapdragon 8 Elite can easily support eight years of Android OS updates, allowing OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to extend software support. He added that the company is working with different brands to support software for longer, maximising the shelf life of upcoming smartphones. This could allow consumers to continue using the smartphone without having to replace it. This is a tall claim, especially from the AI standpoint since language models are expected to grow in capabilities and size.

Several OEMs have already announced the launch timelines for their next flagship phones. OnePlus is coming up with the OnePlus 13 later this month. Realme is also launching its GT 7 Pro smartphone in October. Asus, alongside brands such as Oppo, Xiaomi, and Honor, are also gearing up to introduce their flagship phones. All these smartphones will use the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, meaning they will support up to eight Android upgrades. However, it is not necessary since the onus lies with the OEM.

Currently, Samsung is the only OEM that offers up to seven years of Android version upgrades on its flagship models. Its next flagship phone will likely use the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, meaning it may get an extra year of Android version upgrades. Google also offers seven years of Android version upgrades on its latest Pixel phones, but it is unclear if their successors will get an added year since they use Google’s Tensor chipsets.

On the other hand, Apple offers up to six years of software support on iPhones.