Samsung Electronics is developing a new Galaxy C-series phone that’s neither the Galaxy C10 nor the Galaxy C10 Plus, one industry insider said on Wednesday. The same source also added that the yet-unannounced handset may be the first Samsung-made device powered by the Exynos 7872, a mid-range system-on-chip (SoC) that the South Korean tech giant is reportedly developing. The company’s rumored piece of silicon is said to be built on the 14nm FinFET LPP process, just like the Exynos 8890 that’s powering the 2016 Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, and the now-discontinued Galaxy Note 7. It’s currently unclear how similar will the two chips be in terms of performance seeing how they’re built for different tiers of devices, though the fact that the mid-range Exynos 7872 will be more than a year newer indicates that the gap between them may not be too large.
The 64-bit hexa-core chip is expected to be announced in the coming months, according to a number of reports, with Samsung likely looking to commercialize it by the end of the year. The unannounced Galaxy C-series device might be the rumored Galaxy C3 or an entirely different handset that probably won’t be launched on a global level, as is the case with many of Samsung’s non-flagship devices. The Seoul-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) has a relatively unique product strategy that entails developing and releasing a wide variety of smartphones on a yearly basis in an effort to provide consumers with enough choice to keep them from switching to other brands, which is why it’s not surprising that the company is now rumored to be working on yet another mid-range handset after already releasing a handful of such devices in the last 12 months. The Galaxy C lineup has traditionally been aimed at Asia and select European markets, so the upcoming phone will likely follow the same release pattern, provided that it exists.
Apart from working on revising its mid-range product family, Samsung is currently thought to be preparing for the launch of its next flagship – the Galaxy Note 8. The successor to the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 will likely be unveiled in mid to late August before hitting the market this September, industry sources said earlier this week.