Galaxy X & Galaxy F: New Leak Hints At Processor To Be Used On Samsung’s Foldable Phone
Samsung’s upcoming foldable phone, which has alternately been referred to by media as the Galaxy X and Galaxy F, might not be out until the next few months, and there’s also a chance it might only be offered in limited quantities once it gets released. Details on the device’s fundamental specifications are still scant at the moment, but a new leak has offered some information on one of the processors that are expected to power the foldable phone.
In a report posted on XDA-Developers, contributor Max Weinbach discussed the findings from his analysis of the unreleased Android 9.0 firmware for the existing Galaxy S9 flagship. According to Weinbach, the code includes references to the Galaxy X/Galaxy F, which appears to be known internally as “Winner,” as well as the upcoming Exynos processors that might be powering the foldable device. This was inferred from the file name “ssrm_winnerlte_us.xml,” as variants with Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon chipsets are likely to have “winnerqlte” included in the file name.
Traditionally, versions of Samsung Galaxy devices sold in the U.S. have been powered by Snapdragon processors, while international editions sold in the company’s native South Korea, other Asian countries, and most other parts of the world featured Exynos processors. Weinbach believes this might again be the case with the Galaxy X/Galaxy F, even if the file he found contained the “_us” suffix.
“We would expect this upcoming flagship foldable smartphone to use either the Samsung Exynos 9810 or Exynos 9820, which was rumored to launch with the Samsung Galaxy S10. Although the codename has a “_us” suffix, we don’t believe this refers to the United States.”
New Galaxy F leak confirms Samsung's folding smartphone is a 'Winner' https://t.co/BcQQpglXFt pic.twitter.com/JZHnJwvc11
— Ewan Spence ?? (@Ewan) October 3, 2018
Weinbach’s analysis of the Android 9.0 firmware also contained references to the unreleased Qualcomm Snapdragon 8150 processor, which he noted is the “marketing name” for the chipset that will succeed the Snapdragon 845. The Snapdragon 8150 has been said to be Qualcomm’s first chipset with a dedicated neural processing unit (NPU), which will allow it to “crunch large amounts of data for faster machine learning applications” and keep up with competing chipsets from Apple and Huawei that also have dedicated NPUs.
While it’s possible that Samsung’s foldable phone will have a version powered by the Snapdragon 8150, Weinbach wrote that the policy file he found with the Snapdragon 8150 reference is most likely for the Galaxy S10 series, which ties in with previous rumors that suggested the Galaxy S10 will have a version that supports 5G connectivity.
According to Forbes, the Galaxy X/Galaxy F is expected to come with a 7-inch display once laid out flat and a price tag close to $2,000, among the few specifications and release details that have been reported thus far. As the device is not likely to be sold as a “mainstream” phone like the Galaxy S line, Forbes stressed that the foldable phone might have limited availability as a “loud and proud statement that Samsung can still innovate.”
