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Qualcomm has unveiled two new flagship smartphone processors, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, as the company expands its focus on artificial intelligence running directly on smartphones.

The new chipsets were announced during Qualcomm’s annual Snapdragon Summit, where the company highlighted improvements in personalized AI agents, photography, video recording, and audio processing.

More Personalized On-Device AI

The new platforms feature upgraded sensing hubs capable of running small AI models locally, with models of up to 200 million parameters supported on the device.

This technology could enable smartphones to handle tasks such as personal note-taking directly on the handset, including distinguishing between different speakers.

The chips can also build a form of personalized device memory based on how users interact with their smartphones. This allows AI systems to provide more relevant recommendations and automate frequently repeated tasks.

Qualcomm also said the new processors can support fully voice-based AI agents, allowing users to communicate with AI through voice input and output without sending every request to cloud-based servers.

Extreme Version Supports 30-Billion-Parameter Models

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 includes a new acceleration unit designed to improve the efficiency of AI workloads.

The higher-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 takes the capabilities further by supporting locally running Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) models with up to 30 billion parameters.

MoE architectures contain a large number of parameters but activate only a selected portion for each task. This approach can reduce processing requirements compared with running the entire model for every request.

Enhanced Smartphone Photography and Video

Qualcomm’s latest processors also introduce improvements to smartphone imaging, including pixel-level camera control, enhanced image stabilization, and improved motion processing.

The Extreme variant supports 8K video recording at 60 frames per second, as well as 4K recording at 240 frames per second for high-resolution slow-motion video.

The chipset also supports Advanced Professional Video (APV), a codec designed to provide more advanced professional video-recording capabilities.

AI-Powered Voice Improvements

The new Snapdragon platforms use AI to improve voice quality during calls by enhancing speech clarity and reducing surrounding noise.

Qualcomm has also introduced Voice Bubble, a technology designed to isolate the user’s voice from background sounds during voice communications.

Motorola Introduces First Phone With the Extreme Chip

At the Snapdragon Summit, Motorola announced the Motorola Signature 27, which will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6.

The smartphone is expected to become generally available later this year.

Qualcomm said it is currently working on more than 40 AI-enabled devices, reflecting the growing role of smartphones as a primary platform for consumers to access AI capabilities directly.