A key Samsung Galaxy S23 spec may have just been confirmed
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The Samsung Galaxy S23 leaks and rumors continue to roll in at a rapid pace, and the latest chatter we’re hearing is that the flagship phone series is going all-in with Snapdragon chipsets in all (or at least most) of the markets it’ll be in. are sold.
This comes courtesy of a revenue call from Snapdragon manufacturer Qualcomm (via GSMArena (opens in new tab)), in which Qualcomm chief financial officer Akash Palkhiwala said Snapdragon chips would gain a “global share” of the Galaxy S23 market — a 75% increase with the Galaxy S22.
Traditionally, Samsung has fitted its Galaxy S-series phones with Qualcomm Snapdragon silicon or its own Exynos chipsets, depending on the region – Europe usually gets Exynos, while the US gets Snapdragon, for example. Well, that may be about to change.
Is yet to come
The particular chip in question would, of course, be the as-yet-unannounced Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, following in the footsteps of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 that powered many of the high-end Android phones hitting the market this year.
Rumor has it that the Gen 2 version of the chipset could be released in December 2022. The Galaxy S23 would then follow shortly after, probably in February.
It is worth keeping in mind that some sources say: (opens in new tab) that Samsung still wants to use an Exynos processor in some Galaxy S23 models, so the “global share” for Qualcomm may not be 100%.
Analysis: a recurring rumor
The news that the Galaxy S23 phones in any region will be able to use a Snapdragon chipset isn’t particularly surprising: if you have a long memory, you might remember a similar rumor that popped up around the Galaxy S22 handsets before they launched.
In July 2022, one of the industry’s most notable industry analysts predicted that the Galaxy S23 series would use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset in every region where it was sold, so this is a rumor that has a strong track record.
Not long after, Qualcomm dropped a hint that it might get its chipsets in more Galaxy phones next year – which Qualcomm would of course like to see. It would also make life easier for consumers.
However, Exynos chipsets may not be completely off the table. Earlier this year, we heard reports that Samsung was building a brand new and improved processor to be launched in a few years, with Qualcomm Snapdragon CPUs in the meantime.