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In October, we reported on the rumor that the Exynos-Snapdragon split among different models of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S24 was coming. This was all too familiar news for Samsung users, those of which had to deal with the Samsung Galaxy S22 days of the split. Depending on where you lived, you could only get either the Samsung-created Exynos 2200 as the SoC or the Qualcomm-created Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. After rumors swirled for months, Qualcomm indirectly gave us confirmation that the complex issue has returned with strength this time around.
Latest leak offers clarity on the Galaxy S24's Exynos-Snapdragon situation
Is this a step backwards from the Galaxy S23's all-Snapdragon lineup?
Samsung has been gearing up for its next mainline smartphone in the Galaxy series, the Samsung Galaxy S24, for a long time now. The company’s current flagship offerings in the Galaxy S23 series offer some of the best phones in the Android side of the industry, especially when talking about the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. When looking towards the future, however, it seems like it’s just another day, another rumor about what Samsung is going to do about the Galaxy S24 line’s processor. The newest rumors point to a stark split globally regarding whether you’ll be able to purchase the phone with an Exynos or Snapdragon chip inside.
Insecure Exynos modems put dozens of Samsung devices, and other Android phones, at risk
For the time being, avoid making Wi-Fi and VoLTE calls
Many of the best Android phones released in the past year have used Samsung's Exynos modems to connect to the internet. However, if your handset uses any of these chips launched in the last three years, it could leave you vulnerable to hackers due to a critical flaw in those modems, as Google's Project Zero team revealed 18 unpatched vulnerabilities in Samsung's Exynos modems.
Samsung's bringing satellite connectivity to its Exynos chips
Upcoming offerings could allow video sharing via satellite
The iPhone 14 debuting with satellite connectivity got the Android world racing to equal or surpass Apple's offering, but without the advantages of tight control on every aspect of the hardware and software. So now, modem manufacturers are teaming up with smartphone OEMs to enable satellite internet for the average smartphone. Samsung, with its Exynos processors and modems, is one of a few manufacturers in a position similar to Apple — and the company has now revealed that its Exynos Modem 5300 is capable of 5G satellite connectivity.
Will the Galaxy S23 series mark an end to Exynos? Samsung's Texas-sized answer is 'no'
An all-Snapdragon Galaxy S23 series is only part of the turbulence
Discerning Galaxy and Pixel phone owners haven't been pleased with the performance of Samsung's Exynos SoC. So hasn't Samsung. Every generation, some achievement gap gets benchmarked onto the public record and the people who care (including those who notice above-average degradation over the long term) might steer their savings towards another phone brand, perhaps one with silicon fabricated by rival TSMC — basically the source for mobile APs at the moment. But despite regular failures and a number of recent strategic retreats on this front, Samsung remains committed to a $17 billion multi-year bet it can do better with a new factory in the United States.
Samsung's shifting focus in smartphone SoC development could spell the end of Exynos
Snapdragon fanbois, please stand to the side
Samsung is the single-biggest player in the smartphone business, and that's probably not a situation that's going to change anytime soon. Companies this large love to broadcast just how self-reliant they are, and for years now Samsung phones have stood out by featuring the firm's own Exynos chips. Recently, though, reports have suggested that Samsung's approach to mobile silicon is changing, taking Exynos out of the spotlight and even seeing Samsung extend its partnership with Qualcomm. Now, a new industry report further reaffirms suspicions that Samsung could be moving away from Exynos chips for smartphones.
Samsung and Qualcomm extend and expand their partnership, casting doubt on the future of Exynos
The news follows rumors saying that Samsung will go Snapdragon-only going forward
Exynos processors have definitely seen better days. Since the Exynos-only Galaxy S6 was released in 2015, Samsung's chips have increasingly lagged behind Qualcomm's Snapdragon SoCs year after year, something the company is undoubtedly aware of. Over the past few weeks, rumors arose that Samsung will go Snapdragon-only, at least for its flagships, starting next year. Adding weight to those initial reports is a newly expanded partnership announced by Samsung and Qualcomm that promises, among other things, more Snapdragon-powered devices.
Samsung might stick with just one chipset for the Galaxy S23
And everyone in Europe started screaming at the top of their lungs out of sheer joy
Samsung flagship phones come in different flavors and which one you get depends on where you live. Some markets get Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors, while others get Exynos chips made in-house instead. And aside from a few rare exemptions like the Exynos-only Galaxy S6 in 2015, this has been the case for years. But Exynos chips are largely considered to be inferior to their Snapdragon counterparts, despite their actual specs being similar, if not better, on paper. If you live in Europe and you've been looking at folks in the North America and China with their Snapdragon phones with envy, then you'll be glad to know what Samsung might do next year.
Some Exynos-powered Samsung phones are having problems running Diablo Immortal
Wait, what do you mean Exynos phones are worse?
Diablo Immortal is maybe the biggest news in Android gaming this week, and for good reason: fans have been waiting for this new entry in the series for ages. While the reception the game is getting is a little mixed, everybody wants to try it out for themselves. Unfortunately, if you're on a Samsung phone powered by an Exynos chip, you might be in for a less-than-great experience.
Galaxy-exclusive Samsung processors could take their sweet time to actually show up
Hope you're excited for your next-next phone
Custom silicon is all the rage right now. Apple is fully dedicated to its A-series and M-series chips for phones, tablets, and computers alike, while Google teased a next-gen Tensor processor for the Pixel 7 last week. Samsung has designed its own mobile processors for years, but Exynos-branded chips aren't just limited to the company's devices. Despite confirmation that an exclusive CPU could arrive for future Galaxy phones, we might be waiting a lot longer than most would expect.
Samsung details Exynos 1280, promises better mid-range phones
More flagship features are coming to affordable phones
Samsung has been making Exynos chipsets for years, some of which have been successful and others not so much. It toyed with making custom ARM CPU cores for about four years, but it dropped that fantasy in 2020 with the release of the flagship Exynos 980. There haven't been any mid-range Exynos parts in the last two years, leaving cheaper Samsung phones without a modern in-house option. That changed a few weeks back with the announcement of the Exynos 1280, but only now has Samsung explained what makes this mobile chipset special.
Samsung hopes a tailor-made SoC will do for Galaxy what it did for iPhones
Exynos hasn't yet meant 'exclusive'
Samsung has been outfitting its international phones with Exynos chips for years now — often to the chagrin of customers who might prefer the superior performance of Snapdragon chips (like we get in the US). Despite Exynos misgivings among users, Samsung may be about to seriously recommit to its processors, with plans for what sound like the company going all out on Exynos for an upcoming phone.
Leaked Samsung Galaxy A53 specs show one of last year's best mid-rangers is getting even better
With an Exynos 1280, a big 5,000 mAh battery, and 8K recording
Samsung always puts its very best tech into the flagship Galaxy S and Z lineups, but those can make for some pretty expensive offerings. For everyone else, the Galaxy A series helps strike a nice balance between powerful components and affordable price tags. Lately we've been following progress towards the upcoming Galaxy A53 5G, with plenty of renders and spec leaks to whet our appetite. Today we're picking up even more detail, as the latest leak goes in-depth into what kind of hardware we might expect from Samsung.
The Samsung Exynos 2200 is official with AMD's RDNA 2 GPU
Presumably debuting inside the Galaxy S22 series next month
Samsung was initially scheduled to announce the Exynos 2200 on January 11th, but that date came and went by with no word from the company. Instead, it removed all traces of the teaser from its social media channels, sparking rumors that the chip had been canceled altogether. The company was quick to dismiss such reports and confirmed that it will indeed launch its next flagship Exynos chip in due course. A week later, Samsung has announced its next-gen chipset and detailed some of its key improvements.
Samsung's upcoming chipsets will support the latest next-gen gaming feature: ray tracing
You'll finally get pretty lights and reflections on your phone
The announcement of Samsung partnering with AMD to include Radeon GPUs in Exynos mobile processors was huge. Phones have been getting better and better in terms of graphics, but while ARM Mali and Qualcomm Adreno GPUs are pretty good, they can't hold a candle to Nvidia GeForce and AMD Radeon, two of the biggest names in the GPU space. Radeon GPUs, in particular, are used not only in gaming PCs but also on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X. The arrival of Radeon for smartphones will be spearheaded by Samsung, and now we know about one key gaming feature to expect: ray tracing.
An early Galaxy S22 Ultra leak says a fan-favorite feature is returning
Super-fast charging is back, and the holepunch camera is sticking around
While some of us have our eyes on the upcoming Pixel 6, there's another flagship on the horizon that's not too far away. Samsung's next major phone release will be the Galaxy S22, a phone perfect for anyone who has yet to be won over by the company's foldables. We're learning a little more about the power behind that device today, including just how capable its charging situation might be.
Pixel 6 main camera sensor could be 3x the size of the Pixel 5's, plus an Exynos modem
According to details dug up in new teardowns
The Android 12 Beta 4 release today had a hidden surprise. Nestled deep inside, changes to the system and Google Camera app include hints at upcoming Pixel 6 hardware. It's far from certain, but it looks like we know which camera sensor Google plans to use for the primary wide-angle on the new phones, and it's a big'un. Details regarding the modem Google may use are also included.
MediaTek-powered phones outsold Qualcomm for the first time in Q3 2020
Samsung Exynos market share also shrank during the same period
For a long time, Qualcomm has shipped by far the most smartphone chips — something especially true for the premium segment. But the American semiconductor giant has started to feel the heat in the entry-level and budget space. MediaTek managed to upset the status quo by pushing Qualcomm into the second spot in the quarter ending September 2020, and now leads the overall chipset market.
Samsung thinks it's Pixar now, gives Up the one thing it was missing: SoC product placement
I'd probably give this version of Up two thumbs down
Samsung makes phones, tablets, watches, and more, but did you know it also makes movies? Well, kind of — in a new video promoting Exynos processors, the company plays at being Pixar by recreating Up in some of the strangest ways imaginable. And while there's no adorable wilderness explorer present, there are a lot of musically gifted mutant mascot characters.
Samsung's new Exynos 1080 chipset promises big improvements for the midrange
It's Samsung's first 5nm processor
Samsung's Exynos chipsets may not be as common as Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors here in the US, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're inherently worse. The company unveiled its new Exynos 1080 chip today, and it promises big gains in areas like 5G, on-device AI, and battery performance.