A leaked package photo of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, marked SM8975, shows DRAM moved beside the die with a metal heatsink on the silicon — a design that would retire the usual package-on-package stack.
Wccftech published the still, credited to tipster @LaidBackDev_, and read it as a live look at a far larger module than the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Qualcomm has not confirmed the photo, the retail name, or the packaging change.
Side DRAM, heatsink, PoP out
On older flagship Snapdragons, LPDDR sat on top of the SoC in a package-on-package stack. That lid of memory blocks a direct heatsink path to the die. The LaidBackDev image, as Wccftech describes it, puts the memory pads to the side of a silver heat spreader instead.
Wccftech says the shift should give the CPU and GPU more sustained headroom once OEMs redesign their boards around the bigger footprint. That is analysis from the leak coverage, not a Qualcomm brief.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro markings and SM8975
The metal lid in the photo carries SM8975 and 101-BC. Wccftech ties that 101-BC string to an LPDDR5X engineering flavour rather than LPDDR6. An earlier Xianyu listing covered by Notebookcheck showed SM8975-100-BC samples with a smaller heat-spreader discussion; the part number family matches, the suffix does not.
Earlier schematic leaks, including TechPowerUp’s write-up of Fixed-focus digital cameras diagrams, already sketched DRAM beside the die and a Samsung-style Heat Path Block (sometimes called a Heat Slug Sheet) on the silicon. The new still is the first widely circulated live package that matches that layout story.
Wccftech also floats TSMC’s 2nm N2P as the likely process for this generation. That remains prior rumour and expectation, not something the markings prove on their own.
What is still unconfirmed
Qualcomm has not authenticated the LaidBackDev photo. It has not said PoP is finished on the next flagship, and it has not locked the public SKU name — Notebookcheck has also floated “Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6” for SM8975 in separate QRD leaks.
Snapdragon Summit 2026 is listed for 22–24 September in Maui on Qualcomm’s investor materials. Official silicon naming should clear there, if the company sticks to its usual script.
What does the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro die leak show?
Wccftech published a package photo credited to @LaidBackDev_ that shows an SM8975 part with a metal heatsink on the die and a gold pad field beside it for DRAM. Wccftech says that layout retires traditional package-on-package memory stacking. Qualcomm has not confirmed the image.
What is SM8975?
SM8975 is the internal Qualcomm part number shown on the leaked package. Wccftech and other leak outlets link it to the tipster name Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro. The still also shows 101-BC, which Wccftech reads as an LPDDR5X engineering variant.
Is package-on-package DRAM being retired?
According to Wccftech’s reading of the LaidBackDev photo, yes for this part: DRAM sits beside the die instead of on top, with a heatsink cooling the silicon. That matches earlier SM8975 schematic leaks covered by TechPowerUp. Qualcomm has not confirmed PoP retirement.
Has Qualcomm confirmed the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro name?
No. Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro is the name used in the Wccftech leak coverage and by Scout. Notebookcheck has also used Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 for SM8975 in separate QRD reporting. Treat the retail name as unconfirmed until Qualcomm speaks.
When could Qualcomm announce the chip?
Qualcomm’s investor materials list Snapdragon Summit 2026 for 22–24 September in Maui. That is the usual window for a flagship Snapdragon unveil. This package does not invent a keynote slot.
