Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear Elite aims to power the next wave of AI wearables — not just smartwatches

• Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon Wear Elite wearable platform
• It will likely be inside smartwatches and new AI form factors
• First devices expected later this year

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips already power many wearable devices, from the W5 Gen 2 inside the Pixel Watch 4 to the AR1 Gen 2 chip in the ever-popular Ray-Ban Meta glasses. However, at MWC 2026 – Mobile World Congress – Qualcomm is looking further ahead, both to the near term and the years beyond.

That future centers on AI running directly on your devices. Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon Wear Elite platform is designed to deliver advanced on-device intelligence inside gadgets with limited space and battery, allowing features to run smoothly without relying heavily on the cloud. Samsung, Motorola, and Google are already backing the platform, with the first devices expected to arrive in the “next few months.”

To underscore the shift, Qualcomm is bringing its ‘Elite’ branding – previously reserved for premium smartphone chips, including those powering the Samsung Galaxy S26 lineup – to wearables for the first time. The platform is intended for a wide range of devices, from smartwatches and smart glasses to emerging categories like AI pins, pendants, and other next-generation form factors.

Wear Elite has been in development for more than three years and is built around four core priorities: on-device AI, battery life, connectivity, and performance. A redesigned architecture includes a dedicated NPU capable of running large language models directly on the device, enabling always-on features without a constant internet connection. That could power everything from next-generation smartwatches – potentially the Pixel Watch 5 – to pendant-style devices that automatically transcribe meetings.