Qualcomm has announced changes to the way it brands its Snapdragon chips which includes moving away from the three-digit numbering scheme.
The decision comes ahead of the company's next-gen flagship chip, which is set to be unveiled at the Snapdragon Tech Summit at the end of the month.
Rather than three-digit names, such as the Snapdragon 888, or the Snapdragon 765, the company will use a single digit series and generational number, starting with the soon-to-be launched next 8-series flagship. This was expected to be 'Snapdragon 898 (based on its previous naming pattern).
Qualcomm hasn't actually revealed the new naming scheme, yet, and is only offering a vague video advert that features the number eight without any context. However, the company does already use generational naming for its PC processors, such as the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 and the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2, so the change isn't completely unexpected.
The changes will also include Snapdragon moving further towards a separate, standalone brand, with the 'Qualcomm' logo being removed from the chips.
It's a direction the company has already started moving towards with the Snapdragon 888 Plus badge notably lacking the word "Qualcomm", but today's news officially confirms the plans.
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The change of naming scheme hints that the tech giant was simply running out of numbers with the 8-series lineup on 888, the 7-series already at 780, and the lower 6-series almost finished with the Snapdragon 695. The company is also keen to simplify its naming scheme that can be hard to keep track of.
With the three-digit names, the first number roughly informed customers how powerful the chip was (the 8-series flagship being the most powerful). The second number indicated the annual generational release, while the final third number showed more minor updates.
Other changes will include the use of gold to denote flagship products and it will also stop explicitly stating "5G" on its chips as it has become "ubiquitous" across its product lineup and will be "a given."
