Qualcomm Renames Snapdragon 888 as Snapdragon 8 Gen 1; Drops 5G suffix

Yes, the successor to the Snapdragon 888 is likely to be called the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, as the leaks suggested. Before the Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit on November 30, Qualcomm has confirmed some ongoing rumours and hinted at some developments. Qualcomm is undergoing a wave of complete rebranding for its high-end mobile chips.

Snapdragon will now be known as a different product brand and will rarely be labelled alongside the Qualcomm name. Hence, Snapdragon will be a prominent name in the future, with its "fireball" logo gaining more prominence than ever. The product nomenclature also changes for the Snapdragon 800 series chips.

Snapdragon is now a brand unto itself

The teaser video and blog post confirm the possibility of the Snapdragon 898 launching as the Snapdragon 8 series chip, possibly called the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. "A new simplified and consistent naming structure for our platforms makes it easier for our customers to discover and choose devices powered by Snapdragon. This means our mobile platforms will transition to a single-digit series and generation number, aligning with other product categories — starting with our newest flagship Snapdragon 8-series platform," says Qualcomm.

The entire rebranding movement will use more simplified icons and the improved use of gold for premium-level products, Qualcomm says. Also, the chips will no longer carry the 5G moniker, as Qualcomm will fully transition to 5G platforms.

"We've separated the Qualcomm and Snapdragon brands. Going forward, Snapdragon will be a standalone product brand with specific ties to the Qualcomm brand where appropriate," says Qualcomm.

The first new chip under this renaming strategy will be unveiled on November 30 at the Snapdragon Summit. What remains to be seen is whether and how Qualcomm renames its lower-tier chips. The Snapdragon 700 and Snapdragon 600 series chips generate multiple variants with different levels of performance on offer.