Your next smartphone will get these 3 features in 2026

Personalized AI

Artificial intelligence in phones is moving from being a one-size-fits-all tool to becoming personalized. Qualcomm introduced Personal Scribe, an agent-based assistant embedded at the chip level. It analyzes the owner’s behavior and is able to suggest optimized daily routines.

For example, the assistant sees that the calendar is overloaded and suggests rescheduling minor appointments to free up time. At the heart of the technology is the new Sensing Hub, which learns from the user’s actions and extends that experience to different apps and services. This ensures that AI is integrated into all elements of the system, making interactions as personalized as possible.

Camera with professional capabilities

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is the first mobile platform to support Advanced Professional Video Codec. For smartphone owners, that means sharper, brighter, smoother HDR video, and no loss of quality in editing.

Every smartphone maker applies its own photo and video processing algorithms, but it’s the processor capabilities that set the baseline. The new chip opens up universal features that will improve filming regardless of brand. So any Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 flagship in 2026 will be able to offer video recording levels comparable to professional solutions.

Next Generation Sound

Besides the camera, Qualcomm has paid attention to sound. Snapdragon Audio Sense combines microphone technology with wind noise reduction, audio zoom, and HDR audio recording. Smartphones will now be able to capture 24-bit audio without external microphones, something that was previously only available with additional hardware.

Snapdragon Audio Sense is a great way to capture 24-bit audio without external microphones.

Playback uses XPAN, a new way to connect headphones over Wi-Fi. It delivers lossless 24-bit/96kHz audio and a more stable connection than Bluetooth. You can still take calls, receive messages and interact with the Assistant even if your smartphone is left in another room.