5G Galaxy S10 to use Exynos 9820 & in-house 5G modem rather than Qualcomm chips

by Joshua Swingle / Nov 14, 2018, 9:30 AM

5G Galaxy S10 to use Exynos 9820 & in-house 5G modem rather than Qualcomm chips

Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10+ concept render based on leaked information

5G networks are still a pretty new concept but that isn’t stopping Samsung from developing a 5G variant of the Galaxy S10. According to a new piece of information, though, the upcoming flagship won't be using Qualcomm-branded chips.

Rather than ordering extra processors and modems from its rival, Samsung is reportedly in the process of developing its own 5G-compatible communication processor. This is being developed specifically for the Galaxy S10 and would allow the South Korean giant to use its own chips. Thus, the 5G variant of the Galaxy S10 will most likely arrive with Samsung’s newly-announced Exynos 9820 and the Exynos 5100 modem.

For those unaware, the Seoul-based company's 5G flagship is currently expected to launch early next year in the US, China, and Samsung's home market. Historically, these three markets have received Qualcomm-powered Galaxy handsets. Which is why the original expectation was that the device would be powered by Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8150 and the Snapdragon X50 modem.

If Samsung does move forward with an entirely in-house solution for the 5G Galaxy S10, it could be a pretty big move for the company. After all, it would reduce the company's dependence on Qualcomm in key markets and could even pave the way for future Exynos-powered 5G-ready Galaxy smartphones in the US and South Korea.

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13 Comments

1. bucknassty

Posts: 1373; Member since: Mar 24, 2017

Good down with QUALCOMM!!!

posted on Nov 14, 2018, 9:38 AM 1

3. umaru-chan

Posts: 372; Member since: Apr 27, 2017

Wouldn't be surprised if the new Samsung chip become a top chip in benchmark but mediocre in real life. It will probably be worse than Qualcomm and much much worse than Apple's chip.

posted on Nov 14, 2018, 9:54 AM 4

8. strategic_developer

Posts: 1627; Member since: Jul 17, 2018

Which chip are you referring too? Because the article was talking about the modem. How can goi make such a claim with no facts? I mean do you have a device with this hardware? Because if you dont, that means you pulled all you said out of your @$$. And based on facts, the Ontel .odem is worse than Qualcomms and the latest iPhones with chipzillas solution are having major connectivity issues.

posted on Nov 14, 2018, 3:26 PM 0

2. Boast_Rider

Posts: 536; Member since: Sep 14, 2017

That is usually a bad idea. off-SoC modems usually have really bad battery life. If you need any proof, check out the reviews of the Galaxy S6 US variant(which used a separate CDMA modem). I'll wait for the on-chip 5G modem. Let's see how it turns out though, and what qualcomm does. Next year sure is going to be interesting in CPU tech, with Apple battling Moore's law, Intel delivering 10nm (hopefully!), 7nm desktop GPUs, and AMD zen 2.

posted on Nov 14, 2018, 9:38 AM 0

11. strategic_developer

The S6 was 3 years ago. So you saying that csnt learn in 3 years how do do. Etter? Samsung makes better hips in lots of products year after year. Intel has been making chips since the 70s. Yet the modem they sold Apple works like garbage and is slow. Wake up dude.

posted on Nov 14, 2018, 3:34 PM 0

4. Donnymac

Posts: 1; Member since: Nov 14, 2018

Wrong. Fake news. No journalistic integrity, ethics or regard for truth over lies. What we all have come to expect from sites like this.

posted on Nov 14, 2018, 10:14 AM 0

5. GambitDoesDallas

Posts: 1; Member since: Oct 13, 2018

On a serious note, how would this work with Sprint and Verizon in the U.S., both of which use CDMA -- which I thought was patented and licensed by QC? Was there a recent lawsuit that allowed the fair-sharing of tech to give Samsung access to CDMA SoC abilities? Or did Samsung always have the right to do this and simply chose QC for its stateside phones?

posted on Nov 14, 2018, 10:56 AM 0

9. Blazers

Posts: 767; Member since: Dec 05, 2011

They didn't want to pay Qualcomm the exorbitant royalty fees. It was/is cheaper to release two versions than one. That might change soon though....

posted on Nov 14, 2018, 3:27 PM 0

12. strategic_developer

Fact - you can support CDMA networks without using QC hardware. It's just harder to have 100% compatibility, as we saw with the S6. But they still worked. Facts showed the modem Smsung used in the S6, worked harder on CDMA networks like Sprint and VZW. It caused more battery drain as the model struggled with compatibility. But they worked. 3 years later am sure Samsung ca. Improve their tech. After all the US is not the only country where CDMA exists. China Mobile uses it too. And eve though the modem Samsung uses in China is QC, they have used their own there too.

posted on Nov 14, 2018, 3:38 PM 0

13. strategic_developer

QC is the only company that has chips that are 100% CDMA compatible. However that doesnt mean no one else can make CDMA compatible hardware. Its just with QC, it wont be 100" compatible.

posted on Nov 14, 2018, 3:40 PM 0

21. TVMonitor

Posts: 16; Member since: Mar 23, 2015

Well, iPhone XS/XR show it is compatible enough for most people.

posted on Nov 20, 2018, 10:58 AM 0

20. TVMonitor

1. Both Intel and Samsung modems are now CDMA compatible, this is why the iPhone XS/XS MAX/XR for Verizon and Sprint use Intel modems. 2. Samsung signed a 25 year agreement in 1993 to not sell its own modems in the US until 2018. That agreement expires this year, freeing Samsung to sell Eyxnos modem equipped phones in the US.