Qualcomm To Fix And Update Snapdragon 810 Chip For Samsung
Last week, Bloomberg reported that Samsung would not be using the Snapdragon 810 chip inside its Galaxy S6 flagship device this spring due to some overheating issues that have been rumored to exist before. Not long after, LG, the first company to officially announce a Snapdragon 810 device, said its own upcoming smartphone, the G Flex 2, doesn't have any overheating issues.
The two contradictory reports created some confusion about what's actually happening with this chip, and whether it actually has a technical problem currently or not. A new report from the Wall Street Journal said that Qualcomm is now creating an updated version of the chip, specifically for Samsung, and that it should be ready in March.
According to previous reports about the launch of Samsung's Galaxy S6, the phone is supposed to actually come out in March. This will likely mean that the new Snapdragon 810 will miss the Galaxy S6 launch window. Samsung probably needs at least a few weeks, if not months, to have it ready for its devices, after the moment Qualcomm delivers the updated chip.
This isn't all bad news for Samsung, either, as the company can reduce its reliance on third-party chips such as those from Qualcomm, especially now that Apple has switched almost completely to TSMC to fabricate its chips. This will cause some revenue loss for Samsung's mobile chip division, and one way to boost the revenues back up will be to sell its other divisions its Exynos chip, as well as to other companies.
Losing the Galaxy S6 contract could be a significant hit for Qualcomm this year, but it's possible Samsung was already planning to use its next-generation chip inside the Galaxy Note 5. Samsung may wish to reduce its reliance on Qualcomm, but it's doubtful it will stop all of its current ongoing contracts with the company.
If everything goes well with Samsung's own Exynos chip inside the Galaxy S6, then the company may consider ceasing any chip purchase from Qualcomm going into the next year, at least at the high-end, where its Exynos chip works.
The first phone to feature the Snapdragon 810, the LG G Flex 2, will start shipping in a matter of days in South Korea on January 30.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.
Lucian Armasu is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He covers software news and the issues surrounding privacy and security.
-
house70 "This isn't all bad news for Samsung, either, as the company can reduce its reliance on third-party chips such as those from Qualcomm, especially now that Apple has switched almost completely to TSMC to fabricate its chips."Reply
I've been reading all over that Samsung WILL, in fact, manufacture the next iDevices chip. If they will also rely upon Exynos chips for their own line-up, it could be one of the better years Samsung had in a while. -
jrharbort ReplyIf they will also rely upon Exynos chips for their own line-up, it could be one of the better years Samsung had in a while.
I see it more likely that they may use their own chips for some initial GS6 shipments, but switch over to the modified Snapdragon 810 when it's available to them. The performance of the 810 would still be a bit above Samsung's own offering. -
Cami007 Well i don't know about that, the 805 which is the currently available pulls ahead of its exynos counter in the graphics department just a little, but in the other departments the exynos has proven faster then qualcomm chip, so I would say they are in equal terms.Reply -
The_Icon I can't begin to explain how much I loath Exynos. I have it on my S3 and it overheats like crazy and eats battery like there is no tomorrow. Not only that, the source code is not published to the public and hence it is a major wrench in the gears for the Custom ROM makers out there.Reply -
Cami007 Have you tried swaping your SD card, I had this issue on my note 4, took out the old SD card and put in a new one, problem solved. Same thing happened to my boss on his note 3 (qualcomm chip)Reply
I personally prefer Qualcomm chips due the 4G LtE radios, but the Exynos is not a bad chip at all. I had it on S2, Note 1, S4, S5. Never had a problem with it, except as mentioned above.
Had Qualcomm on Note 2, Note 3, Nexus 5, Moto X (2nd) and One+1.
-
revanchrist Apple's leaning back to Samsung and also GlobalFoundries for its A9 chip production because TSMC's 16nm FINFET is delayed, again. Should everything goes smooth, TSMC will start mass production of 16nm silicon earliest in Q4 15 or Q1 16, which is way too late for Apple's next gen iPhone's chip.Reply -
Ken Tammenga Looks like Samsung's patience is wearing thin with Qualcomm's lies. If I was LG, I would be rather insulted that Samsung is going to get an "updated" supposedly fixed chip, while I am stuck with the defective chip in my phones.Reply -
Ken Tammenga Looks like Samsung's patience is wearing thin with Qualcomm's lies. If I was LG, I would be rather insulted that Samsung is going to get an "updated" supposedly fixed chip, while I am stuck with the defective chip in my phones.Reply