The LG G7 is set to be powered by the Snapdragon 845, Qualcomm’s future flagship system-on-chip (SoC) that’s set to be commercialized in 2018, industry sources said on Monday. LG and the San Diego-based semiconductor company have reportedly started their joint development efforts earlier this month, seeking to optimize Qualcomm’s upcoming piece of silicon for the successor to the LG G6 that was released this spring.
The move marks a noticeable shift in LG’s product strategy that has recently prioritized stability and timeliness in favor of raw power. Despite being released just a few months back, the LG G6 isn’t powered by the Snapdragon 835 — Qualcomm’s latest flagship chipset — and instead features last year’s Snapdragon 821. The South Korean consumer electronics manufacturer opted to equip its new G-series flagship with a weaker chip due to the desire to launch the device sooner, as its domestic and global rival Samsung reportedly caused a shortage of the Snapdragon 835 due to ordering large quantities of it for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. While somewhat weaker and less efficient than the Snapdragon 835, implementations of the 14nm Snapdragon 821 are generally more stable and reliable, LG previously argued. Qualcomm has yet to confirm that its upcoming piece of silicon will bear the “845” moniker, though several industry insiders claim it will. The U.S. tech giant already started a trial production run of its next high-end SoC, with recent reports indicating that the Snapdragon 845 will be built on a 7nm process.
Before the LG G7 is released next year, the Seoul-based phone maker is expected to launch a 2017 addition to its V lineup that will likely be called the LG V30. That particular device is said to be fueled by the Snapdragon 835 and should be unveiled around September. LG opted to introduce a somewhat unique, instantly recognizable design language with the G6 but is now seemingly also upping its game in the mobile hardware department. While the LG G7 will presumably fare better than its contemporaries in the raw processing power department than the G6, it remains to be seen how that product strategy will reflect on LG’s bottom line seeing how more premium components naturally lead to thinner profit margins, unless LG is looking to increase the price of the G7 compared to its predecessor.