Smartphone chip price increases
Qualcomm has informed customers it will raise prices by a percentage in the double digits due to rising costs, according to a Bloomberg News report published July 24, 2026, citing a letter sent to customers. The smartphone chipmaker communicated the increase as industry input costs rose, according to coverage carried on a Reuters wire service.
Galaxy AI partnership expansion
At Samsung Unpacked in July 2026, Qualcomm Technologies and Samsung Electronics announced an expanded collaboration to integrate Snapdragon platforms across a broader range of Galaxy ecosystem devices, including foldable smartphones, smartwatches, and intelligent eyewear, according to company officials cited in coverage of the event. The partnership focuses on enabling more natural, context-aware AI experiences through close engineering optimization across form factors.
Snapdragon platforms across device categories
Samsung's latest foldable smartphones are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, built on the Qualcomm Oryon CPU. The Galaxy Watch9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra2 use the Snapdragon Wear Elite Platform, manufactured on a 3nm process, with advanced sensor fusion and connectivity features. Intelligent eyewear developed under the Android XR collaboration with Google uses the Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chipset and is slated to launch in the fall of 2026, with two additional designs unveiled at Samsung Unpacked as part of collections from Warby Parker and Gentle Monster.
Leadership statements and broader collaboration
Qualcomm President and CEO Cristiano Amon said the partnership is enabling a new age of AI in which intelligence is built directly into personal devices. Won-joon Choi, President and COO of MX Business at Samsung Electronics, said the companies optimized Snapdragon platforms together to secure the performance and efficiency needed for a consistent, premium Galaxy experience across smartphones, watches, and eyewear. Qualcomm also uses Samsung Electro-Mechanics FC-BGA substrates in its server-grade AI chips, with Amon noting the two companies have worked together for nearly 30 years to define mobile experiences.
Upcoming milestones
The intelligent eyewear category powered by the Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chipset is expected to launch in the fall of 2026, with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster among the first collections. Samsung's expanded device lineup, including new foldables and Galaxy Watch9 / Watch Ultra2 wearables, is rolling out following the Samsung Unpacked event held in July 2026.
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