All Galaxy Note 10 models except Verizon's may use Exynos chips

UPDATE: False alarm, folks! After speaking to other people familiar with the matter, Evan Blass has determined that the Galaxy Note 10 series will, in fact, stick with the Snapdragon 855 in the US after all. Therefore, the Exynos 9825 will be reserved for international markets as previously suspected.

Since the launch of the Galaxy S8 back in April 2017, Samsung has used two chip suppliers for its flagship devices. All units destined for international markets such as Europe and Latin America benefited from the company's own Exynos line of processors. Those set to be sold in the US and China, on the other hand, stuck with Qualcomm's Snapdragon series.

This strategy continued into this year with the release of the Galaxy S10 series and the expectation was that it'd also be carried over to the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+. But according to serial leaker Evan Blass, Samsung instead has a rather dramatic change planned.

Per the information provided today, only Galaxy Note 10 units destined for Verizon will ship with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855 on the inside. To clarify, that's the standard version that's currently found inside the Galaxy S10 lineup, not the Plus alternative that was announced a few weeks ago and previous rumored to make the cut. As for the Galaxy Note 10 models set to be sold through AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile, it seems they will arrive powered by Samsung's new Exynos 9825 that'll also be present in international units.

Although it's unclear at this stage if there'll be a noticeable difference between the Exynos and Snapdragon chips when it comes to performance, Samsung's new offering should improve upon things dramatically with respect to the Galaxy S10's Exynos 9820. That's because the next-gen Exynos 9825 is built upon the 7-nanometer manufacturing process rather than the 8-nanometer alternative. This will result in extra power and a higher level of efficiency, the latter of which should translate into better battery life.

Samsung's US chip supply shake up is yet to be made official, hence why the reason for this change is currently unknown. Nevertheless, it could potentially have something to do with recent profit and revenue drops and ultimately be an attempt on Samsung's part to improve the current situation within the company. In regards to why only Verizon models looks set to include Snapdragon chips, this likely has something to do with network compatibility.

Despite the different processors, all Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ models are expected to be identical in every other way regardless of the carrier. This means consumers can expect to find a minimum of 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. If, however, this isn't enough, other variants with up to 12GB of RAM and 1TB of storage are rumored.

Externally, the standard and Plus-sized Galaxy Note 10 models will boasts 6.3-inch and 6.7-inch variations of the same Infinity-O display respectively. This AMOLED panel is characterised by curved edges on either side, extremely thin bezels, and a small punch hole in the middle that houses a 10-megapixel selfie camera. Regarding the rear design, the Note 10 ditches the Note 9's horizontal setup in favor of a new vertical layout which houses three cameras. But as a bonus for the Note 10+, a fourth Time-of-Flight sensor is also present.

Completing the package on both Galaxy Note 10 devices should be Android 9 Pie and One UI straight out of the box. Both smartphones will support 4G LTE networks and include an updated S Pen which introduces features such as Air Gestures. As for the batteries, the smaller model reportedly packs a 3,600mAh cell and 25W fast charging support while the bigger version opts for a 4,300mAh alternative and faster 45W charging.