A leaked confidential Qualcomm datasheet has revealed the full specifications of the Snapdragon 4 Gen 6, Qualcomm’s next entry-level mobile chip. The document was exclusively obtained and verified by Notebookcheck, and the headline change is a jump to a new Adreno 6-series GPU paired with support for faster LPDDR5 memory. This is not a flagship part, but that is exactly why it matters: budget chips like this end up powering affordable phones sold in enormous volumes across India, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and other price-sensitive markets — reaching far more people than any premium SoC ever does.
A quick reminder before the details: this is a component-level leak, not a phone announcement. No manufacturer has confirmed a device using the Snapdragon 4 Gen 6, and Qualcomm has not announced the chip itself. Treat the specs below as a preview of what future budget phones might offer, not as anything you can buy soon.
A new Adreno GPU is the real Snapdragon 4 Gen 6 upgrade
The standout change is graphics. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 6 moves to an Adreno 6-series GPU, a generational step up from the Adreno 4-series in the current Snapdragon 4 Gen 5. On paper that should translate into a meaningful bump in gaming and general graphics performance — the kind of improvement that actually shows up in day-to-day use on cheap phones, where the GPU is usually the first thing to run out of headroom.
LPDDR5 memory support — with a catch
The chip adds dual-channel LPDDR5 support running at up to 3,200MHz, alongside the LPDDR4X support it already carried. Faster memory helps with multitasking and app loading. The catch for buyers: the datasheet keeps LPDDR4X in the spec sheet, and that older, cheaper memory will almost certainly remain the default for the lowest-cost builds. In other words, the phone with the Snapdragon 4 Gen 6 on its box does not automatically get the faster memory — check the memory type before assuming you are getting the upgrade.
CPU stays the same as the Gen 5
The processor cores are carried over unchanged from the Snapdragon 4 Gen 5: two performance cores based on Arm’s Cortex-A78 and six efficiency cores based on Cortex-A55, all still built on TSMC’s 4nm process. That means the graphics leap is the story here — raw CPU speed is unlikely to feel any different from the current generation.
Still a budget chip: no Wi-Fi 7
Connectivity is handled by a separate companion chip that the phone maker picks from four options, ranging from Wi-Fi 5 with Bluetooth 5.1 up to Wi-Fi 6 with Bluetooth 6.0. Notably, none of them support Wi-Fi 7 — a clear reminder that despite the GPU and memory upgrades, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 6 remains firmly an entry-level part. Cheaper devices will likely stick to the Wi-Fi 5 option, so the exact wireless capability will vary from phone to phone.
Snapdragon 4 Gen 6 specs at a glance
- CPU: 2x Cortex-A78 performance cores + 6x Cortex-A55 efficiency cores (unchanged from Snapdragon 4 Gen 5)
- GPU: New Adreno 6-series (up from Adreno 4-series)
- Memory: Dual-channel LPDDR5 up to 3,200MHz, plus LPDDR4X support
- Process: TSMC 4nm
- Connectivity: OEM-selectable companion chip — Wi-Fi 5/6 and Bluetooth 5.1 to 6.0, no Wi-Fi 7
- Security: Hardware ECC authentication, Widevine L1 DRM, updated Trust Management Engine
When could it arrive?
This is where things get genuinely uncertain. The leaked datasheet is dated March 2026, which Notebookcheck describes as “incredibly early” for a document of this kind — some reporting suggests the chip’s actual public unveiling could slip as late as 2027. There is no official launch date, no confirmed timeline, and no named phone. For now, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 6 is one to file under “budget silicon to watch,” and we would treat any specific launch window as speculation until Qualcomm says otherwise.
Sources: Notebookcheck
