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Snapdragon 855 in Galaxy S10 could be the first 7nm mobile processor, tips contractor

By Daniel Petrov

Published: Feb 15, 2018, 4:58 AM

Qualcomm won't say it, but their contractors do. Snapdragon 855 (SDM855) is the first 7nm SoC. (probably the one the X24 modem ends up in) pic.twitter.com/Ot1J34fQoG
— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) 15 февруари 2018 г.

Yesterday, Qualcomm came out of the blue with the first chipset made on the groundbreaking 7nm process, but this one was a wireless modem, the X24, which will allow phones equipped with it to reach 2 Gbps 4G LTE download speeds.

The Snapdragon 845 that is about to debut in the Galaxy S9 ten days from now, is packing X20, which does 1.2 Gbps, so we'd wager to guess that the X24 is meant for Qualcomm's next Snapdragon 855 SoC that will likely make a cameo in the Galaxy S10 at the earliest. Qualcomm did say that commercial devices with X24 are about to land by the end of this year, so make of it what you will.

Given, however, that the X24 modem is made with a 7nm node, and Samsung said it will be ready for mass production of such chipsets in early 2019, we thought it safe to assume that the 855 will both package X24, and be made on the 7nm node. Lo and behold, today's Roland Quandt tweet comes to confirm this notion.

Seemingly taken from a chip engineer's LinkedIn or similar work experience profile, it clearly states that a Snapdragon 855 is in the works, and is indeed hopped on the 7nm bandwagon. As for what will 7nm bring? Well, a drastic reduction in power draw and increased performance, all with today's chip capabilities, or better. Yum.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.