Samsung’s next-gen flagship Galaxy S8 is shaping up to be one of the best Android phones ever. The US version of the device was widely expected to be powered by Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Snapdragon 835 processor. Now Qualcomm has officially announced the Snapdragon 835 chipset that would power not only Galaxy S8 but also other flagships such as LG G6.
Will Galaxy S8 be more energy efficient?
The new processor brings significant improvements over its predecessor. Built using 10nm FinFET technology, the Snapdragon 835 is 35% smaller than the Snapdragon 820, which powers the Galaxy S7. Despite its smaller size, the latest chip is 20% faster performance than Snapdragon 820. It means the upcoming Galaxy S8 would be 20% faster than the S7.
Qualcomm’s new chipset consumes 25% less power than its predecessor. But that doesn’t mean the Galaxy S8 would also be 25% more energy efficient because Samsung may add some power-hungry features to the device. The Snapdragon 835 has eight cores inside it. Qualcomm claims the new chip is designed to deliver “exceptionally long battery life, lifelike VR and AR experiences and cutting-edge camera capabilities.”
Snapdragon 835 supports Bluetooth 5.0
It supports USB Type-C connectivity and features Quick Charge 4 technology. The Quick Charge 4 gives you five hours of battery life in just five minutes of charging. The new SoC is ready for Bluetooth 5.0, which was certified by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) last month. The Galaxy S8 is rumored to come with Bluetooth 5.0, considering Samsung is a member of the Bluetooth SIG.
The graphics processor is Adreno 540, which delivers up to 25% faster graphics rendering and 60 times more display colors than its predecessor. The Snapdragon 835 also has a new chip for cameras called Spectra 180. With dual 14-bit image signal processors, it can support either a 32-megapixel camera or dual 16MP cameras. Also, the new chip supports HDR and delivers better 4K video.
Samsung SDI to supply Galaxy S8 batteries
Samsung said at the Consumer Electronics Show that it would soon reveal the cause of the Galaxy Note 7 explosions. The company needs to be transparent regarding the Note 7 disaster if it wants to regain consumer confidence ahead of the Galaxy S8 launch. A new report coming out of South Korea claims that the explosions were not caused by faulty batteries from Samsung SDI, as Samsung had once claimed. The Note 7s featuring batteries from Amperex were also found to be overheating and catching fire.
Korean site MK reports that Samsung SDI is supplying batteries for the Galaxy A series that Samsung recently unveiled. It will also make batteries for the upcoming Galaxy S8. The publication added that Samsung SDI will be responsible for 65% of the Galaxy S8 batteries, while the remaining would be handled by other suppliers such as TDK and LG Chem.
