Samsung might be developing a Galaxy S10 model featuring 12GB of RAM, according to an alleged GF Securities leak that emerged Chinese social media network Weibo. The device is being referred to as the Samsung Galaxy S10 X 5G, implying that it could also adopt some form of 5G networking. The leak further suggests that the device will be accompanied by three other Galaxy S10 models with varying RAM capacities. Moreover, it indicates that Samsung isn’t the only OEM to consider the launch of a smartphone with 12GB of RAM and that Huawei is going to do the same within a similar timeframe.
Assuming the leak is legitimate, Samsung will launch four flagship models early next year, including a standard variant with 4GB of RAM, a Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus with 6GB of RAM, a so-called Samsung Galaxy S10 X housing 8GB of RAM and the aforementioned 12GB/5G model. All four smartphones will launch in March, the leak indicates, although they will likely be unveiled earlier in the year, possibly at MWC. As for the 5G model, it’s not the first time this variant has been rumored about, even though Samsung’s mobile head DJ Koh already said the Galaxy S10 won’t be the first Samsung-made smartphone to feature 5G capabilities. Nevertheless, despite the limited availability of 5G, several OEMs are now working on 5G handsets, including Samsung’s neighbor, LG, who has partnered with U.S. carrier Sprint in order to deliver a 5G smartphone next year. Meanwhile, the leak also implies that the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro will launch in the same month as the Samsung Galaxy S10 lineup, with the former model housing 8GB of RAM and the latter adopting 12GB. There’s no mention of 5G this time around, but the P30 series has already been confirmed to be in development by CEO Richard Yu, although there are no official details regarding its hardware specifications as yet.
While smartphones with 12GB of RAM sound a bit far-fetched given that 8GB is plenty today, there is a sound logic behind the idea that a 5G-enabled smartphone could make use of this much RAM, at least from the perspective of content streaming. 5G will enable new possibilities for streaming, and in general, streaming can be rather taxing on RAM, on smartphones or otherwise. Nevertheless, these technical details aren’t meant as a confirmation for the leaked spec sheet below. Furthermore, even if this much memory will become a reality early next year, it could be a marketing strategy which might turn into a costly gimmick, especially if smartphones limited to 4G would start cramming 12GB of RAM for no real reasons.