Qualcomm's new Snapdragon chip misses out on one of Android 16's best features

[ad_1] <img class="e_Jg" decoding="async" loading="eager" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 vs Tensor G5 phones" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Snapdragon-8-Elite-Gen-5-vs-Tensor-G5-phones.jpg 1920w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Snapdragon-8-Elite-Gen-5-vs-Tensor-G5-phones-64w-36h.jpg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Snapdragon-8-Elite-Gen-5-vs-Tensor-G5-phones-1000w-563h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Snapdragon-8-Elite-Gen-5-vs-Tensor-G5-phones-1536w-864h.jpg 1536w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Snapdragon-8-Elite-Gen-5-vs-Tensor-G5-phones-675w-380h.jpg 675w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Snapdragon-8-Elite-Gen-5-vs-Tensor-G5-phones-300w-170h.jpg 300w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Snapdragon-8-Elite-Gen-5-vs-Tensor-G5-phones-1280w-720h.jpg 1280w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Snapdragon-8-Elite-Gen-5-vs-Tensor-G5-phones-840w-472h.jpg 840w" alt="Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 vs Tensor G5 phones" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Snapdragon-8-Elite-Gen-5-vs-Tensor-G5-phones.jpg"/> Robert Triggs / Android Authority

TL;DR

Qualcomm’s highly effective new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip sadly doesn’t assist Android’s new Linux Terminal characteristic. It is because the characteristic requires assist for “non-protected” digital machines, which Qualcomm’s newest high-end chip doesn't provide. Consequently, customers desirous to run desktop Linux apps on Android should presently use a tool with a Google, MediaTek, or Samsung chip.

Qualcomm has all the time completed an ideal job at constructing highly effective, but environment friendly, cellular processors, but it surely’s exhausting to seek out real-world duties that may actually push these processors to their limits. That’s as a result of most Android apps are constructed for the bottom widespread denominator — low cost gadgets with vastly slower processors than flagship telephones. However, many Linux apps are constructed for individuals with highly effective workstations, as Linux is common amongst energy customers and builders.

Due to the brand new Linux Terminal characteristic, it’s now potential to run many of those Linux apps on Android gadgets. Nonetheless, not each Android gadget has entry to the Linux Terminal, because it has two necessities that many gadgets don’t meet.

First, it requires the Android Virtualization Framework (AVF) to be obtainable on the gadget, because it makes use of the framework to create a Debian digital machine. AVF is a part of the Android Open Supply Challenge (AOSP), so it’s obtainable to all producers, however that doesn’t imply it would work out of the field on all gadgets. Thankfully, Google labored with main silicon distributors together with Qualcomm so as to add assist for his or her respective hypervisor implementations — the software program that creates and manages digital machines — to AVF. Most gadgets launching with Android 16 assist AVF out of the field, whereas many gadgets upgrading to the discharge assist it as nicely.

The second requirement is assist for “non-protected” VMs, i.e. VMs whose reminiscence will be broadly accessed by the host OS. The Linux Terminal app presently doesn’t run on gadgets that solely assist protected VMs, i.e. VMs whose reminiscence can't be broadly accessed by the host OS. Paradoxically, this implies gadgets can assist the safer makes use of of AVF, like Play Shield’s dwell risk detection, however not its extra insecure makes use of, just like the Linux Terminal. In observe, this is the reason Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 7 helps the Linux Terminal however not the Galaxy Z Fold 7, as the previous is powered by the Exynos 2500 chip, which helps non-protected VMs, whereas the latter is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, which doesn't.

<img class="e_Jg" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="Linux Terminal on Galaxy Z Flip 7 vs Galaxy Z Fold 7" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Linux-Terminal-on-Galaxy-Z-Flip-7-vs-Galaxy-Z-Fold-7-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Linux-Terminal-on-Galaxy-Z-Flip-7-vs-Galaxy-Z-Fold-7-64w-36h.jpg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Linux-Terminal-on-Galaxy-Z-Flip-7-vs-Galaxy-Z-Fold-7-1000w-563h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Linux-Terminal-on-Galaxy-Z-Flip-7-vs-Galaxy-Z-Fold-7-1920w-1080h.jpg 1920w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Linux-Terminal-on-Galaxy-Z-Flip-7-vs-Galaxy-Z-Fold-7-1536w-864h.jpg 1536w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Linux-Terminal-on-Galaxy-Z-Flip-7-vs-Galaxy-Z-Fold-7-675w-380h.jpg 675w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Linux-Terminal-on-Galaxy-Z-Flip-7-vs-Galaxy-Z-Fold-7-300w-170h.jpg 300w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Linux-Terminal-on-Galaxy-Z-Flip-7-vs-Galaxy-Z-Fold-7-1280w-720h.jpg 1280w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Linux-Terminal-on-Galaxy-Z-Flip-7-vs-Galaxy-Z-Fold-7-840w-472h.jpg 840w" alt="Linux Terminal on Galaxy Z Flip 7 vs Galaxy Z Fold 7" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Linux-Terminal-on-Galaxy-Z-Flip-7-vs-Galaxy-Z-Fold-7-scaled.jpg"/> Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority

Left: The Linux Terminal operating on the Galaxy Z Flip 7. Proper: The Linux Terminal crashing on the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

There's presently a brief record of chipsets that assist each AVF and non-protected VMs, however sadly, that record doesn’t embrace any Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms. We had been hoping issues would change with the discharge of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, however sadly, that isn’t the case. Telegram consumer MlgmXyysd shared a picture exhibiting the Linux Terminal failing to run on the Xiaomi 17 Professional powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. The error message states that “non-protected VMs should not supported on this gadget.” We verified this was the case by having MlgmXyysd verify the values of the ‘ro.boot.hypervisor.vm.supported’ and ‘ro.boot.hypervisor.protected_vm.supported’ system properties; the previous was empty whereas the latter was ‘true’, indicating the chipset solely helps protected VMs like its predecessor.

<img class="e_Jg" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="Linux Terminal crashing on Xiaomi 17 Pro" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Linux-Terminal-crashing-on-Xiaomi-17-Pro.jpg 720w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Linux-Terminal-crashing-on-Xiaomi-17-Pro-36w-64h.jpg 36w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Linux-Terminal-crashing-on-Xiaomi-17-Pro-608w-1080h.jpg 608w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Linux-Terminal-crashing-on-Xiaomi-17-Pro-486w-864h.jpg 486w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Linux-Terminal-crashing-on-Xiaomi-17-Pro-214w-380h.jpg 214w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Linux-Terminal-crashing-on-Xiaomi-17-Pro-675w-1200h.jpg 675w" alt="Linux Terminal crashing on Xiaomi 17 Pro" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Linux-Terminal-crashing-on-Xiaomi-17-Pro.jpg"/> Provided that the Linux Terminal works on the MediaTek-powered Xiaomi 15T Professional, it’s clear that the Qualcomm chip is the difficulty right here. We reached out to Qualcomm to ask why its chipsets don’t assist non-protected VMs and whether or not it plans so as to add assist, and a spokesperson for the corporate despatched us the next assertion:

“Our precedence is to ship know-how that meets the evolving wants of our OEM companions and their finish customers, and because the Android ecosystem continues to develop its virtualization use instances we stay poised to assist rising necessities together with non-secure use instances just like the Linux Terminal, ought to market demand come up.”

This assertion means that Qualcomm doesn’t assume the Linux Terminal is vital sufficient so as to add assist for, which is unlucky, as I feel the Linux Terminal is among the most promising new Android options in years. With some setup, it permits you to run full desktop Linux apps that aren’t obtainable on Android, comparable to GIMP and LibreOffice. Google’s main aim with the venture is to allow Android app growth instantly on Android gadgets, a process that will surely require plenty of horsepower. The corporate additionally hints at different thrilling capabilities like operating video games via the Terminal.

<img class="e_Jg" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="XFCE desktop on a Pixel device via Linux Terminal" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/XFCE-desktop-on-a-Pixel-device-via-Linux-Terminal-scaled.png 2560w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/XFCE-desktop-on-a-Pixel-device-via-Linux-Terminal-64w-42h.png 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/XFCE-desktop-on-a-Pixel-device-via-Linux-Terminal-1000w-657h.png 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/XFCE-desktop-on-a-Pixel-device-via-Linux-Terminal-1645w-1080h.png 1645w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/XFCE-desktop-on-a-Pixel-device-via-Linux-Terminal-1316w-864h.png 1316w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/XFCE-desktop-on-a-Pixel-device-via-Linux-Terminal-579w-380h.png 579w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/XFCE-desktop-on-a-Pixel-device-via-Linux-Terminal-675w-443h.png 675w" alt="XFCE desktop on a Pixel device via Linux Terminal" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/XFCE-desktop-on-a-Pixel-device-via-Linux-Terminal-scaled.png"/> Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority

With the best way issues are proper now, if you wish to benefit from the highly effective capabilities provided by the Linux Terminal, you’ll must eschew any gadget with a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. At the moment, solely gadgets with a Tensor G1 or later, a Dimensity 9400+ or later, or the Exynos 2500 assist the Linux Terminal. Hopefully, that record will develop to incorporate a Snapdragon chip sooner or later, however Qualcomm must take motion — they usually received’t trouble until individuals allow them to know they need this characteristic.

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