With Qualcomm formally announcing its latest flagship processor with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, brands are now on a race to launch their own phone with the flagship processor as soon as possible. As of this writing, there are 5 brands that will launch smartphones using a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, with some of them scheduled to launch by the end of 2021.
5 Smartphones Confirmed to Use Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (2021):
- Motorola Edge X30 / Edge 30 Ultra
- Xiaomi 12
- realme GT 2 Pro
- OPPO Find X4 Pro
- iQOO 9
Motorola Edge X30 / Edge 30 Ultra
Motorola is expected to be the first to announce a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1-powered phone with the Edge X30 in China on December 9. While their teaser poster only confirmed the processor, rumors point to the phone having a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with 144hz refresh rate, in-display fingerprint scanner, and support for HDR10+.
It is also said to have a 60-megapixel selfie camera, a triple rear camera setup that consists of a 50-megapixel OV50A main camera, 50-megapixel ISOCELL JN1 ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a 5000mAh battery with 68w wired charging.
Xiaomi 12 series
Just a few days after Motorola’s announcement, Xiaomi confirmed that the 12 series will use the flagship chip, and is said to launch on December 12. Rumored specs include a curved display with a 120hz refresh rate and 2K resolution, ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, 120w wired charging, and a triple rear camera setup that has AG glass and is led by a 50-megapixel main camera.
OPPO Find X4 Pro
OPPO is getting ready for the next Find phone, and it confirmed that the Find X4 Pro will use Qualcomm’s new silicon. While not much is known about the Find X4 Pro, the flagship phone is expected to come with 80w wired charging, and is expected to have a 6.7-inch QHD+ OLED display with an adaptive refresh rate and a triple rear camera setup that consists of two 50-megapixel cameras and a 13-megapixel telephoto camera.
While OPPO is expected to launch the Find X4 Pro by the first quarter of 2022, there’s a chance that they might reveal bits about the flagship during Inno Day 2021 on December 15.
realme GT 2 Pro
Like OPPO, realme confirmed that they will be using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 on the GT 2 Pro, which is said to be their most premium flagship phone.
Expected to be unveiled by the first quarter of 2022, the GT 2 Pro will allegedly have a 6.51-inch WQHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 120w SuperDART charging, 32-megapixel camera, and a triple rear camera setup that consists of a 50-megapixel main camera with OIS, another 50-megapixel camera, and an 8-megapixel camera. Alleged renders of the GT 2 Pro reveal a visor-like camera module that takes design cues from the Nexus 6P.
iQOO 9 series
The latest brand to confirm that they will use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is vivo sub-brand iQOO. The phone in question is speculated to be the iQOO 9 series, which will launch by first quarter of 2022. Not much is known yet about the upcoming iQOO 9 series, but at least one of the variants will come with 120w wired charging. Other speculated specs include a 120hz AMOLED display, at least a 4500mAh battery, and a main camera with a large sensor.
