Samsung will reportedly ditch the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor in favor of an in-house Exynos chip for its next-generation Galaxy S6, according to a new report.
So far, the Galaxy S6 was expected to come with either a Snapdragon 810 SoC or an Exynos chip under the hood, depending on market. New information, however, now claims that Samsung tested Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 chip and ultimately decided to drop it because of some overheating issues. The news comes from Bloomberg, which cites sources close to the matter.
"Samsung Electronics Co. will use its own microprocessors in the next version of the Galaxy S smartphone, dropping its use of a Qualcomm Inc. chip that overheated during the Korean company's testing, people with direct knowledge of the matter said."
"Samsung, the world's largest smartphone maker, tested a new version of Qualcomm's Snapdragon chip, known as the 810, and decided not to use it, the people said, asking not to be identified because the issue hasn't been discussed publicly. Qualcomm shares fell," adds the report.
This is not the first time such a claim surfaces, as some previous reports also indicated that Qualcomm's latest high-end chip is facing some overheating issues. If Samsung does indeed plan to drop Qualcomm's chip, however, the move is bound to make some serious waves.
Bloomberg doesn't mention whether Samsung will use an in-house Exynos chip for all Galaxy S6 units, or just for a majority. Just last week, for instance, a report from Digitimes claimed that Samsung would equip 80 - 90 percent of its Galaxy S6 units with an Exynos chip, while the remaining 10 - 20 percent would rely on Snapdragon. Digitimes also noted that Samsung would gradually increase the share of Snapdragon chips as Qualcomm fixes its overheating issues.
On the other hand, leaving Qualcomm's Snapdragon issues aside, Samsung reportedly aims to be more self-reliant as well, using more of its own products. Packing an in-house Exynos chip in high volume for the Galaxy S6 would translate in higher profits for the company, as it would be able to keep more for itself.
At the same time, Qualcomm has been a favorite for high-end devices on the mobile market, and Samsung has so far used Snapdragon chips for a majority of its flagship smartphones. The latest Snapdragon 810 is already set to power some of the latest flagships of 2015, but it remains to be seen how they will deal with overheating.
LG, for instance, has recently announced its new G Flex 2 powerhouse with a Snapdragon 810 processor, and has now assured Bloomberg that the devices will have no issues. The company said it is taking every measure to make sure no overheating issue ruins the experience.
