The Snapdragon tip, which is highly regarded by Qualcomm’s beloved, is in hot water after a judge refuses to dismiss a patent infringement lawsuit filed against the company. If a judge rules over Collabo Innovations Inc., which filed the lawsuit, Qualcomm could be forced to change the way its chipset is manufactured. CollaboInnovationsInc. claims that Qualcomm infringed a patent the former obtained from Panasonic. The patent includes a microcontroller chip that handles the system shutdown process. Qualcomm had asked to dismiss the case, but the judge ruled that the request was premature.
Judge Alan Albright said there is ongoing disagreement over certain terms such as “microcontrollers.” The judge also ruled that Qualcomm’s motion to dismiss the case will be considered at a later date after further development.
These types of lawsuits often result in the accused paying a total or royalty to the entity they sued. If a judge rules in favour of Collabo Innovations Inc., Qualcomm may be ordered to pay the company a handsome amount. However, as a more severe result, Qualcomm may be told to stop using microcontroller chips on Snapdragon processors.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite is used in the Samsung Galaxy S25 lineup. | Image credits – Samsung
Moreover, the company’s rumoured decision to jack the price of its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 chip only drives big customers like Samsung even further away. Samsung has invested heavily in completing its Exynos processors and can stop relying on Snapdragon chips, which cost hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
The Snapdragon processor is some of the most powerful chipsets phone makers can use today. However, the lawsuit, along with other issues cornering the company, threatens to quickly change the landscape of the smartphone industry.
