The Snapdragon Elite processor is the ultimate in Android smartphones. So far, things have been more dignified when it comes to smartwatches. But AI’s thirst for performance is now bringing the “elite” to wearables.
Until now, smartwatches haven’t necessarily relied on top performance. The processor had to ensure smooth scrolling through the menus and fast data transfer from the sensors. But it wasn’t too demanding, which is why Qualcomm sold the same smartwatch processor for a good three years. It wasn’t until mid-2025 that a successor came onto the market: the Snapdragon W5/W5+ Gen 2.
But that was apparently only an interim step, because the AI now does everything differently. Now the smartwatches should also carry out the AI calculations directly on the device. And this requires more performance, including an NPU computing core (Neural Processing Unit). And so Qualcomm takes its example Snapdragon 8 Elite for mobile phones and has one Snapdragon Wear Elite for small devices announced.
The elite chip, manufactured using the 3 nm process, is said to have five times the processor and seven times the graphics performance compared to the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 2. In addition, improved energy efficiency and modern communication standards such as 5G, Micro-Power Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 6.0. But the on-device AI calculations are central. The AI assistant does not rely on the Internet or cell phone.
Elite chip in Google Pixel Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch
In the press release, Qualcomm specifically named three partners: Google, Samsung and Motorola. The most recently published one Google Pixel Watch 4 (test) used the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 2. There is no official announcement, but you can probably expect that Pixel Watch 5 will already use the new processor – after all, Google is one of the big drivers of AI development with Gemini.
Samsung switched to an in-house processor years ago. In the current one Galaxy Watch8 (test) is the Exynos W1000. Now the South Koreans are returning to Qualcomm. This is what the announcement says: “With the integration of the new Snapdragon Wear Elite platform, the next generation of Galaxy Watches will be an even more holistic wellness companion.” So: Galaxy Watch9 with Snapdragon.
Also the third partner mentioned – Motorola – obviously has its own plans for the new high-end processor for wearables. Other prominent users of the Qualcomm smartwatch chip, such as Xiaomiare not explicitly mentioned. However, one can assume that the Snapdragon Wear Elite will soon also be used in their wearables. Whether this will have an impact on the price will probably become apparent in the coming months.
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