Qualcomm and Samsung Electronics have already started development of the Snapdragon 845, a new system-on-chip (SoC) that will be powering the Galaxy S9 that’s expected to be released in 2018, industry sources told Aju Business Daily on Monday, as reported by The Investor. The report specifically states that neither the “Snapdragon 845” nor the “Galaxy S9” are the official names of either product, but nevertheless, Qualcomm is said to be hard at work developing the second generation of its 10nm chips and Samsung is reportedly assisting the company in its efforts. While the San Diego-based tech giant has yet to decide on the official name of its 2018 flagship chipset, industry sources claim that the “Snapdragon 845” is currently the likeliest candidate for the name of the new SoC.
It’s currently unclear when the development of the Snapdragon 845 might be completed, but the chip is expected to be manufactured by either the Taiwan-based TSMC or Samsung itself, the latest report indicates. The latter scenario might be more likely seeing how Samsung is already manufacturing the Snapdragon 835, Qualcomm’s first SoC that recently debuted on the market in the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus. The news of the Snapdragon 845 being in the works comes shortly after Samsung officially confirmed that it has concluded the development of the second generation of its 10-nanometer FinFET process, i.e. acquired all of the necessary qualifications for the new manufacturing technology. As the South Korean tech giant is currently in the process of upgrading its manufacturing facilities to prepare for the mass production of its new 10nm chips, it isn’t surprising that the company has already started collaborating with Qualcomm on a new generation of the flagship Snapdragon lineup.
Apart from the Galaxy S9, the Snapdragon 845 is also expected to power the U.S. variants of the Galaxy Note 9 that the Seoul-based consumer electronics manufacturer will likely release in the second half of 2018. Another possible Samsung-made candidate for the chip is the Galaxy X, the company’s rumored foldable smartphone that industry sources claim will serve as an alternative to the firm’s traditional flagship lineup and might hit the market next year. More details on the Snapdragon 845 and Samsung’s upcoming high-end Android devices should follow in the coming months.