The expected arrival of the Samsung Galaxy S23 isn't all that far off now – it should be showing up around January time – and the latest prediction from those in the know is that the phone series could use Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipsets exclusively.
That comes from the usually reliable industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who reckons that it's "likely" that the superior performance of the next-gen Snapdragon mobile processor will beat anything that Samsung manages to do with its own Exynos 2300.
When it comes to the Galaxy S phones, Samsung has previously split CPU duties between itself and Qualcomm. In the case of the Samsung Galaxy S22 for example, 70% of the phones had a Qualcomm 8 Gen 1 processor, while 30% carried the Samsung Exynos 2200 – those Exynos handsets were largely sold in Europe.
Chips with everything
Neither the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 nor the Samsung Exynos 2300 are official yet, though the rumors have started. Both these chipsets are going to make use of 4 nanometer architecture technology, like the processors that they're replacing.
However, according to Ming-Chi Kuo, the Samsung CPU can't compete "in all aspects" with the Qualcomm one – and Samsung wouldn't want to put a phone on sale if there was a significant performance or battery life discrepancy, depending on which processor was inside and where in the world it was sold.
This move has been predicted by other sources too, with Samsung apparently working on getting a new and improved CPU ready for 2025, and set to use Qualcomm silicon in the meantime. Nothing is certain yet though – we heard a similar rumor about the Galaxy S22.
Analysis: what we know so far
We're still six months away from seeing the Galaxy S23 – assuming that Samsung launches the phone when we think it will – but there has already been a considerable amount of speculation when it comes to what this 2023 flagship phone might bring with it.
We've heard rumblings that the rear camera module could feature a 200MP main sensor, and become the first Samsung handset to reach that megapixel mark. Apparently the selfie camera on the front is going to get a significant upgrade as well.
That selfie camera won't be embedded in the display though, according to those in the know. We can also look forward to the usual performance increases, and we might even get treated to improved battery life as well – though don't count on it.
Let's hope Samsung is able to make enough units to keep up with demand. Before we see the Galaxy S23 though, we're going to get the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, due to be unveiled sometime during August.
