Snapdragon chips are ditching the number salad for a naming scheme you'll be able to follow

Qualcomm is separating itself from its branding

If you're reading this on an Android phone right now, chances are it's powered by one of Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors. The brand has become synonymous with mobile devices in recent years, despite the company's portfolio of technology branching far outside chipsets. Starting today, Qualcomm is spinning the Snapdragon name into its own product, separating it from the company at large, resulting in all-new model names for its upcoming chipsets.

Although this shift won't mean anything for end consumers, you should expect to see the Snapdragon name appear a whole lot more often. This change arrives as the brand's portfolio continues to diversify, with products like Snapdragon Sound and its "Elite Gaming Features'' all launching over the last couple of years. While Qualcomm is still behind its products, the ties between the two companies are looser than ever.

One of the biggest results of this reorganization is a move away from the usual naming structure for its processors. We've been expecting a Snapdragon 898 chip to launch any day now — acting as the successor to the Snapdragon 888 found in most 2021 Android flagships — but it sounds like the chipset may be the first to gain a new name. According to Qualcomm, its processors are moving to single-digit series and generation numbers. In other words, get ready to see a Snapdragon 8x sometime in the next few weeks.

Finally, the company announced a few other design changes to its branding. 5G is apparently a "given" now, and will no longer be called out specifically in product names. It's something we've seen the company test out with its 7c chips for laptops, and it's nice to see it expand to other projects. Meanwhile, Snapdragon is adopting a few new key colors for its products, with gold now reserved for high-end "premium-tier" releases. While these changes won't directly affect any Snapdragon-powered devices, they should make shopping for a new phone or tablet a little easier.

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