Qualcomm updating chip naming with standalone ‘Snapdragon’ brand & single-digit + generation

Abner Li | Nov 22 2021 - 8:00 am PT

Qualcomm is set to announce its next chip that will power the flagship devices of 2022 in two weeks. Ahead of that, Qualcomm announced a rebrand of “Snapdragon” that includes a new naming scheme and visual system.

It starts with the Qualcomm and Snapdragon brands getting “separated.” In practice, this means that “Qualcomm” will not preface “Snapdragon” in branding/marketing shots. It’s cleaner and shorter as the company wants its chip brand to stand alone:

Going forward, Snapdragon will be a standalone product brand with specific ties to the Qualcomm brand where appropriate.

That continues with a “new simplified and consistent naming structure for our platforms.” As an example, Qualcomm has the “Snapdragon 7c Gen 2” processor found in Chromebooks.

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.

Another change being made is to “badges” that serve as visual representations of the chip in artwork and other marketing. Gold “will now be used to represent only our premium-tier products,” while other colors include Midnight, Gunmetal, Nickel, and Snapdragon Red. Similarly, the “fireball” icon will “gain new prominence,” while “5G” will no longer be shown as it has “become ubiquitous across our Snapdragon Portfolio” and its inclusion will be considered a given. Lastly:

Our automotive portfolio is now 100% Snapdragon branded at the platform and experience layer level e.g., Snapdragon Ride Platform and Snapdragon Digital Chassis.

Qualcomm will announce its next flagship Snapdragon chip with the new naming on November 30. It remains to be seen how the system accommodates various ‘Plus’ variants and iterative processor tweaks that the company makes mid-cycle.