Apple is expected to announce its new iPhone 18 series this year, potentially around September. It is also when Apple is rumored to debut the A20 chipset built on TSMC’s 2nm process . However, it looks like Qualcomm and MediaTek could steal the limelight from Apple. According to the latest rumors, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and the Dimensity 9600 could launch the same month as the iPhone 18 .
Stealing the limelight away from Apple
According to a post on Weibo by tipster Smart Pikachu , they claim that Android flagship phones using the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Dimensity 9600 could launch in the same month as the iPhone 18, which is September. We already said last year that 2026 will see the debut of 2nm chipsets. Now it seems like Qualcomm and MediaTek are planning to battle Apple for the spotlight.
This is a shift in the timetable for Qualcomm and MediaTek. Last year, both companies announced their latest flagship chipsets in September . However, it was only a few months later that we saw phones that used the chipset. Assuming nothing was lost in translation, either Qualcomm and MediaTek are planning earlier announcements, or they could be releasing the chipset to manufacturers earlier than normal.
But either way, this is good news for Android fans. If you’d rather hold out for a phone with a 2nm chipset, you might not have to wait as long. At the same time, this kind of puts a slight damper on upcoming announcements from companies like Samsung. Samsung is expected to launch its Galaxy S26 series this month.
However, if other 2nm options are coming out sooner than expected, we wouldn’t be surprised if some customers choose to wait it out.
Xiaomi could be the first
If you’re in the waiting camp, then the rumors claim that Xiaomi could be the first to use these new chipsets. But the thing with Xiaomi is that the company usually launches in China first before the rest of the world. So even if you wanted to wait, you could end up waiting a little longer.
This phone is expected to come in the form of the Xiaomi 18 . The rumors claim that we can probably look forward to a pretty substantial camera upgrade. It is also rumored to sport a 3D ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, and wireless charging support.
