Early Galaxy Tab S12 leak hints that Samsung may not use a Snapdragon chip once again

Samsung’s tablet chipset strategy has recently changed as the company stopped using Snapdragon processors with the Galaxy Tab S10 and Galaxy Tab S11 families. A new leak reveals that the company may opt to continue doing the same thing with the upcoming Galaxy Tab S12.

Galaxy Tab S12 may feature a MediaTek chipset

Samsung may stick to a MediaTek processor for its upcoming flagship Android tablets. Code from Samsung’s AI Core app contained references to the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chipset, according to an Android Authority report.

While the file didn’t mention the processor with its commercial name, it contained the MT6993 model number, used by MediaTek. The code doesn’t mention any of the potential Galaxy Tab S12 devices either, but it contains details about an upcoming product with the Dimensity 9500 processor.



Considering that Samsung has used the flagship Dimensity chips on the last two generations of the Galaxy Tab tablets, it is almost certain the Tab S12 series will continue the trend.

Several AI features

Some of the code inside the AI Core app also lists several features that are associated with the MediaTek chip. Those include AI-generated wallpapers, image expansion, generative editing, and "harmonization on device".

It is unclear what exactly the harmonization feature is supposed to be. It could be a reference to image harmonization, which is a technique that adjusts elements of a photo to make it look more realistic.

More than good enough

While the Dimensity 9500 can’t match the performance of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 CPU, it’s still a powerful processor. We’ve seen it in action inside the Oppo Find X9 Pro, where its GPU truly shined with great performance.

We still haven’t heard almost any rumors about the Tab S12 series, but there could be only two models this year. Besides a potential battery upgrade for the Tab S12 Plus, the new tablets could also feature new AI-powered features.

It’s more than the performance

I doubt that many people buy Android tablets looking for top-tier specs and extreme performance. Samsung already has S Pen support and various nice features on board to make the Tab S12 series compelling, but a fast chip with great graphics definitely won’t hurt it.

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