The first Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 foldable might not come from Samsung

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor is the latest and greatest Android phone chipset on the market, powering devices like the Galaxy S23 series and OnePlus 11. We’re still waiting for the first foldable phone with this processor, but it turns out Samsung might not be first to the post.

Veteran leaker Digital Chat Station has claimed on Chinese social media platform Weibo that the Vivo X Fold 2 will be the first Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 foldable phone on the market. There’s no timeline on a release date but the original X Fold launched in April 2022, so it stands to reason that we could see a release in April 2023.

The leaker further claimed that the X Fold 2 will be equipped with a 4,800mAh battery and 120W wired charging. This would make for a bigger battery and much faster charging than the Galaxy Z Fold 4, while also offering faster speeds than other foldables on the market.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if another brand beat Samsung to the punch by offering a foldable with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. The Korean brand tends to launch its foldables in Q3 each year, giving ample opportunity for rival companies to launch their own devices.

Either way, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 promises a major performance and efficiency boost over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. So any foldables using this chipset should see longer battery life and a notable horsepower boost.

One pertinent question is whether we’ll see the Vivo X Fold 2 in global markets, as the company’s previous foldables stayed in China. Still, the Honor Magic Vs and Oppo Find N2 Flip show that Chinese brands are slowly starting to offer their foldables on a global stage.