The world of mobile computers is at a turning point. As AI moves from being a feature in the background to being the main way people interact with technology, gadget makers are under more and more pressure to make experiences that are truly intelligent. Qualcomm showed off its bold answer at Snapdragon Summit 2025 in Maui, Hawaii, from September 23–25: agentic AI that doesn’t just follow orders but also thinks ahead, understands, and acts on behalf of users.
The Problem: Reactive AI in a Fragmented Ecosystem
The AI helpers of today are still annoyingly passive. Siri, Google Assistant, and other AI helpers have been improved over many years, but their main job is to act as advanced voice search engines, waiting for clear instructions before acting. This reactive method has a lot of major problems that make work less efficient and make the user experience worse.
Current AI Limitations:
AI capabilities don’t let smartphones, PCs, wearable gadgets, and other linked devices communicate information, so experiences are spread out over many devices.
Little understanding of the environment: Assistants don’t know where the user is, what they do, or what they require right now.
Functionality that only reacts: Users have to tell AI to execute each task, so it can’t help them before they ask.
Different systems and manufacturers have different levels of AI power, which might cause performance problems.
The result is an ecosystem where users juggle multiple AI interfaces, manually coordinate tasks across devices, and miss opportunities for genuine productivity enhancement.
Agitating the Pain Points: Why Current Solutions Fall Short
These limitations compound to create frustrating real-world scenarios that every tech professional recognizes. Consider the typical business workflow: checking calendar appointments on your phone, switching to laptop for presentation editing, using separate tools for video calls, and manually coordinating across platforms. Each transition breaks workflow continuity and requires conscious user intervention.
The Hidden Costs of Fragmented AI:
- Productivity friction: Average knowledge workers lose 21 minutes per day switching between disconnected AI tools and interfaces
- Missed opportunities: Reactive AI cannot identify optimization opportunities or automate routine tasks without explicit programming
- Cognitive overload: Users must remember which AI assistant handles which tasks across different devices and platforms
- Limited personalization: Without cross-device context, AI cannot develop sophisticated understanding of user preferences and work patterns
Content writers have to deal with a lot of things. Editors of mobile movies have to move files by fingers, change settings, and make sure that apps and devices work with each other. The fact that artificial intelligence (AI) can only work on one device at a time and doesn’t know what it’s doing makes things hard for workers who use phones, tablets, and PCs to handle meetings, presentations, and papers.
The Solution: Qualcomm’s “Ecosystem of You” Vision
Qualcomm’s answer centers on agentic AI – intelligent systems that understand context, anticipate needs, and take autonomous action across device ecosystems. CEO Cristiano Amon articulated this vision as the “Ecosystem of You,” where AI agents orchestrate seamless experiences across smartphones, PCs, smart glasses, earbuds, and connected vehicles
Important Parts of Agentic AI:
Proactive intelligence: AI bots watch how people act, what’s going on around them, and how work gets done so they can suggest and carry out actions before people ask them to.
Cross-device orchestration: Multi-device task coordination by unified AI agents that keep context and continuity
Combining on-device and cloud computing for hybrid processing improves speed while keeping privacy safe.
AI systems use data from cameras, microphones, and other sensors to figure out what the person is doing and where they are.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: Mobile AI Powerhouse
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 delivers the silicon foundation for agentic AI experiences. Built on 3nm process technology, the chip features third-generation Oryon CPU cores reaching 4.6GHz peak speeds – approaching the 5GHz threshold for mobile processors
Key Performance Metrics:
- CPU performance: 20% faster than previous generation with 35% improved power efficiency
- GPU acceleration: 23% graphics performance increase with 25% better ray tracing capabilities
- AI processing: 37% faster Hexagon NPU with support for agentic AI workloads
- Gaming optimization: Adreno High Performance Memory provides 18MB dedicated cache for sustained performance
The chip introduces Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec support, making it the first mobile processor capable of “near-lossless” video capture for professional content creation workflows.
Snapdragon X2 Elite: AI-First Computing
For PC platforms, the Snapdragon X2 Elite series delivers desktop-class performance with mobile-inspired efficiency. The flagship X2 Elite Extreme features 18 CPU cores – 12 Prime cores at up to 5GHz and 6 Performance cores at 3.6GHz – making it the first ARM-based laptop processor to reach 5GHz speeds
Transformative AI Capabilities:
- 80 TOPS AI processing: Nearly double the 45 TOPS of previous generation, officially the world’s fastest laptop NPU
- 78% NPU performance increase: Enables real-time on-device AI inference for complex multimodal models
- 2.3x GPU performance per watt: Redesigned Adreno architecture supports professional creative workflows
- Multi-day battery life: ARM architecture delivers sustained performance with exceptional power efficiency
Real-World Applications: Agentic AI in Action
Samsung Galaxy Integration
Samsung’s Galaxy S25 series, powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, demonstrates agentic AI through multimodal interaction. Users can engage through voice, touch, and visual cues while AI agents proactively manage tasks across the Galaxy ecosystem including phones, tablets, PCs, and wearables.
What You Can Do With the Samsung Galaxy AI:
When someone is in a certain place at a certain time and doing a certain thing, AI agents can change their device settings instantly.
When you start a job on your phone, you can finish it without any problems on your tablet or PC.
AI makes ideas about what to do based on where you are, how you usually talk to people, and upcoming events on your calendar.
HUMAIN Partnership: AI for the Arabic Language
Qualcomm’s partnership with HUMAIN in Saudi Arabia is a big step forward in deploying AI in that area. The relationship combines ALLaM Arabic language models with Snapdragon-powered devices, making them more culturally aware. This means that the AI can understand regional dialects and cultural context.
HUMAIN AI PC Capabilities:
- Native Arabic processing: On-device inference for Arabic language models without cloud dependencies
- Cultural adaptation: AI responses aligned with regional values and social norms
- Hybrid cloud-edge processing: Combines local processing with HUMAIN’s AI data centers for optimal performance
Creator Workflow Revolution
Professional content creators benefit from seamless workflows enabled by APV codec support and cross-device AI coordination. Mobile video shot on Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 devices maintains professional quality when transferred to Windows PCs for editing, eliminating quality loss from transcoding.
Creative Workflow Enhancements:
- 28% faster Photoshop editing on Snapdragon X2 Elite platforms
- 43% quicker Lightroom exports with AI-accelerated processing
- Seamless mobile-to-PC workflows with APV codec maintaining video quality
- AI-powered content optimization through partnerships with Adobe GenStudio
Technical Specifications and Benchmarks
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Performance Data
CPU Benchmarks:
- Geekbench 6: 19% improvement over previous generation, 25% faster than Apple A19 Pro in multi-core performance
- AnTuTu 10: Approaches 3 million points, representing 20% year-over-year improvement
- Power efficiency: 16% overall SoC power savings translating to 1 hour 48 minutes additional gaming time
AI Processing Capabilities:
- Image classification: 19% performance improvement
- Image segmentation: Up to 55% faster processing
- Super-resolution workloads: 37% average NPU performance increase
- Multimodal AI support: Native processing for large language models up to 1 billion parameters
Snapdragon X2 Elite Performance Metrics
Competitive Positioning:
- CPU performance: 31% faster than previous generation at same power consumption
- Multi-core benchmarks: Matches Apple M4 Max and Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX in native applications
- GPU acceleration: 2.3x graphics performance per watt improvement
- AI benchmarks: 5.7x faster AI processing than competitive platforms in Procyon Computer Vision tests
6G Integration and Future Timeline
Qualcomm’s agentic AI vision extends beyond current 5G networks to next-generation 6G connectivity. CEO Cristiano Amon announced that pre-commercial 6G devices will launch as early as 2028 – two years ahead of industry timelines.
6G Network Capabilities:
- Intelligent networking: AI-native networks with perception and sensor data integration
- Context-aware services: Networks that understand user environment and device ecosystem
- Edge-cloud convergence: Seamless processing distribution between local devices and cloud infrastructure
- Enhanced bandwidth: Dramatically increased speeds supporting real-time AI inference across device networks
The accelerated 6G timeline positions Qualcomm to enable truly ambient computing experiences where AI agents coordinate across smart glasses, vehicles, smartphones, and IoT devices through intelligent network infrastructure.
Partnership Ecosystem and Industry Support
Major OEM Commitments
Leading Android manufacturers have confirmed Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 adoption:
- Samsung: Galaxy S26 series expected in early 2026
- Xiaomi: 17 series launching as first Gen 5 devices
- OnePlus: 15 series confirmed for late 2025
- Honor, iQOO, OPPO, realme: Flagship devices across multiple brands
Strategic Technology Partnerships
Google Collaboration:
- Android-ChromeOS convergence: Joint development of unified OS platform for PCs
- Gemini AI integration: Native Google AI models on Snapdragon platforms
- Developer ecosystem: Shared tools and APIs for cross-platform AI applications
Adobe Integration:
- GenStudio optimization: AI-powered content creation workflows
- Creative Cloud acceleration: Native support for professional creative applications
- Marketing automation: Streamlined content production and campaign management
Pros and Cons Analysis
Advantages of Qualcomm’s Agentic AI Approach
Performance Benefits:
- Industry-leading processing power: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 approaches 5GHz mobile speeds
- Exceptional AI capabilities: 80 TOPS NPU performance leads laptop market
- Cross-platform consistency: Unified AI experience across mobile and PC platforms
- Professional-grade features: APV codec support enables mobile-to-professional workflows
Ecosystem Strengths:
Broad OEM support: Many makers are using the newest platforms
Strategic partnerships: deep connections with Google, Adobe, Samsung, and other companies in the area
Cultural adaptation: The HUMAIN partnership shows how to use AI in a way that works for each area
Future-ready architecture: schedule for integrating 6G is earlier than the competition
Possible Problems and Limitations
Limitations on technology:
High-performance AI processing may shorten the life of a device’s battery.
Thermal management: speeds of 4.6GHz or higher need complex cooling systems
Software optimization: Agentic AI features depend on how app developers use them.
Dependence on the network: Full functionality needs strong 5G/6G connection
Problems in the market:
Coordination of the ecosystem: For success, many OEM partners must work together.
Privacy worries: coordinating AI across devices brings up data security issues
Pressure from competitors: Apple’s unified method may provide better user experiences
Enterprise adoption: Customers in businesses may not want to use agentic AI because they are worried about security.
Questions That People Ask
When can I get smartphones that have Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5?
A: The Xiaomi 17 series will come out first. The OnePlus 15 and other phones will follow in late 2025. The Samsung Galaxy S26 series is expected to come out in the beginning of 2026.
What is agentic AI that makes it different from other AI assistants?
A: Agentic AI knows the situation, predicts what the user will need, and acts on its own across multiple devices. Agentic AI constantly watches user behaviour and the environment to provide relevant help, unlike reactive assistants that wait for orders.
Question: Will Windows programs work on Snapdragon X2 Elite PCs?
A: Yes, the Snapdragon X2 Elite can run Windows apps using both native ARM processing and emulation. As makers make apps work better with ARM architecture, performance keeps getting better.
What makes 80 TOPS AI better or worse than other options?
A: The 80 TOPS rating for the Snapdragon X2 Elite is much higher than what Intel and AMD’s current mobile processors can do. It’s almost twice as high as the 45 TOPS rating for the previous version.
How long will it take for 6G devices to become available?
Q: When will commercial 6G products be available? A: Qualcomm thinks they will be available by 2028. This schedule is about two years earlier than what the industry thinks it will happen.
The Intelligent Computing Revolution
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit 2025 marked a definitive shift from reactive AI features to proactive, context-aware intelligence that spans device ecosystems. The combination of Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 mobile processors and X2 Elite PC platforms provides the silicon foundation for truly agentic AI experiences.
The “Ecosystem of You” vision addresses fundamental limitations in current AI implementations by enabling cross-device coordination, contextual understanding, and proactive task automation. With 80 TOPS AI processing power, 4.6GHz mobile CPUs, and strategic partnerships spanning Samsung, Google, Adobe, and regional players like HUMAIN, Qualcomm has positioned itself at the forefront of the intelligent computing revolution.
The faster schedule for 6G, with pre-commercial devices expected by 2028, shows Qualcomm’s strong dedication to creating experiences where AI agents work together naturally in smart glasses, cars, smartphones, and other connected devices. As the mobile industry moves from focussing on devices to focussing on intelligence, Qualcomm’s all-encompassing platform method could have a big impact on how people interact with computers over the next ten years.
