Qualcomm

Qualcomm has renewed its global licensing agreement with Apple, extending the deal under which Apple pays to use Qualcomm's patented technology in its devices. The renewed agreement is set to take effect on 1 April 2027, continuing a long-running partnership between the two companies that has spanned their iPhone chip supply relationship.

Qualcomm has confirmed it is evaluating Samsung's 2nm manufacturing process for future Snapdragon chipsets. The move would mark a return to Samsung foundries for flagship chips, alongside rival TSMC. The decision is seen as a test of Samsung's advanced node competitiveness and yield reliability, with implications for upcoming flagship smartphones.

Qualcomm announced two new smartphone chips, strengthening its push into on-device artificial intelligence as competition among chipmakers intensifies. The announcement came alongside the company's earnings update, but investors were unmoved: Qualcomm shares slipped modestly in after-hours trading despite the new product launches. Attention is on how the company's AI-capable silicon will fare against rivals in the premium smartphone market.

Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 is arriving as the first mobile processor to reach a 5 GHz clock speed. German tech outlet heise+ has taken a closer look at what the chip actually delivers, arguing that the headline frequency is far from the whole story, and weighing its real-world performance gains for upcoming flagship smartphones.

Apple reportedly plans to use its own custom-designed modem chips in every iPhone released in 2027, moving away from Qualcomm's modems entirely. The company has been developing in-house modem technology for years, and the 2027 lineup would mark the point where the transition is complete across the full range.

Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, its new flagship smartphone chip, alongside a second premium model, the 8 Elite Elite Extreme Gen 6. The company positions both as flagships, with the differences between them relatively minor: mostly improved AI processing, video capture, and gaming performance. Coverage so far focuses on whether the two-tier flagship approach meaningfully separates high-end phones.

Qualcomm is reportedly evaluating Samsung Foundry's 2nm process for its next-generation mobile chips. If adopted, it would mark a shift for Samsung's foundry business, which has struggled to win large advanced-node orders from Qualcomm, historically a major TSMC customer. A deal would be a significant win for Samsung in its competition with TSMC, though no production decision has been announced.

Qualcomm has announced an agreement to acquire PickNik, a robotics software company, in a move aimed at strengthening its AI-driven robotics capabilities. The deal signals Qualcomm's push to expand beyond mobile chips into robotics and edge AI. Details such as the purchase price and closing timeline have not been widely reported, and reaction so far appears limited to trade press coverage.

A report claims Apple's entire 2027 iPhone lineup could ship without Qualcomm modem chips, as the company continues rolling out its own in-house modem, starting with the iPhone SE and extending across the range. However, Apple reportedly cannot fully break away from Qualcomm yet, since it still relies on the chipmaker for certain components, keeping the two tied together for now.