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Samsung still can't decide on a Galaxy S23 with Exynos processor

By Daniel Petrov

Published: Sep 20, 2022, 6:03 AM

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Samsung still can't decide on a Galaxy S23 with Exynos processor

Despite multiple rumors to the contrary, including a confirmation by Qualcomm itself, one leakster obsessed with Samsung's internal deliberations - Ice Universe - claims that its execs are locked into a decision struggle whether to continue using Exynos chipsets in flagship Samsung phones.

The team of Samsung Electronics, which makes the chips, is pushing to keep using Exynos not only in lower-grade phones, but in the Galaxy S line as well, it turns out, just when we thought the question has been settled in favor of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. Next year, Samsung is expected to use Exynos in about only 26% of its phones shipped globally, mostly in the midrange category.

The reason why Samsung MX - the phone division - decided to give the Samsung Galaxy S23 series a Snapdragon processor exclusivity, is not throttling or thermal management issues of the eventual Exynos 2300 chip, but rather Qualcomm's superior 5G modem that can hardly be replicated by anyone at the moment.

Snapdragon's 5G modem reigns supreme

Apple tried and failed and, as a result, the iPhone 14 series are shipping with Qualcomm's X65 5G modem, a version of which Samsung uses for the Galaxy S22 models sold in the US, too.

Get the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra at up to $825 off!

Samsung is running its early Black Friday sale with an extended trade-in program, meaning you can get up to $600 off when you bring in your old S21 Ultra and it can be one with a cracked screen, too. Then, there's a $225 instant discount going on at the Samsung Store, or a $50 upgrade to the 512GB model.

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Last we heard, Samsung also couldn't match the upcoming flagship Qualcomm X70 5G modem in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that is made by TSMC on its frugal 4nm method, both in terms of performance, and in power efficiency. According to Qualcomm, the X70 sports the following rich list of features:

Qualcomm 5G AI Suite, Qualcomm 5G Ultra-Low Latency Suite, Qualcomm 5G PowerSave Gen 3 and 4X sub-6 carrier aggregation.
Breakthrough 5G speeds, coverage, low latency and power efficiency.
5G modem-RF system family capable of supporting every commercial 5G band from 600 MHz to 41 GHz.
World’s first 4X downlink carrier aggregation across TDD and FDD, mmWave-sub-6 aggregation.
Standalone mmWave support.
Uplink carrier aggregation and switched uplink support across TDD and FDD.
Global 5G multi-SIM including Dual-SIM Dual-Active (DSDA) and mmWave support.
Rapid commercialization of 5G Release 16 features through software updates.

Instead of upping the Gigabit download speeds as it did with the previous Snapdragon X65, X60, X55 and X50 generation, Qualcomm decided to stick with the 10 Gigabit rating of the modem that is currently in phones like the Galaxy S22 series, and instead focus on decking the new modem out with extra features and AI capabilities.

Now, how would an eventual new Exynos modem fare against Qualcomm's 5G juggernaut, remains to be heard, but it seems that the Snapdragon switcheroo may still be in flux over at Samsung.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, 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.