Qualcomm officially announced the Snapdragon 821 processor this morning, and with it there has been growing speculation about just which phones will be among the first to feature the new alleged king of the chipset hill. Based on information from multiple and reliable sources, we believe it is extremely likely both of Google's upcoming Nexus phones, Sailfish and Marlin, will be using the Snapdragon 821.

The chipset, internally known by its model designation MSM8996 Pro, is claimed to be up to 10% faster than the outgoing 820. Such a modest speed increase points to a less significant chip release for Qualcomm, one likely focusing on honing and optimizing overall performance and efficiency than in seeking to introduce new technologies.

To date, we've been unable to confirm what processors Google's new Nexus phones will use. This has been, in part, a function of our lack of concrete knowledge around Qualcomm's chipset naming and release roadmap, but today's announcement of the 821 seems far from a coincidence, given no devices have yet been announced as using it. While Samsung's upcoming Note 7 may also feature the 821 (at least in the US), we felt confident that the 2016 Nexuses would also be using a newer Qualcomm part, we just didn't know what it would be called, exactly.

As with any rumor, nothing is certain until it is officially announced, but as long as Qualcomm doesn't go announcing an even faster 820-series Snapdragon in the next month or two, you can probably assume this is what the next Nexuses will be rocking.