As we reach the end of 2015, and get closer to the busiest time of year in mobile (that is, February and March), the rumour mill starts to speed up a little. This time around, for Samsung at least, the rumour mill is going a little nuts, suggesting we could see a much earlier launch for Samsung’s predicted Galaxy S7. Serial leaker Evan Blass has tweeted that AT&T are currently testing two Galaxy S7 variants (SM-G930A and -G935A):
https://twitter.com/evleaks/status/665279918633295872
This news of course has lead to speculation that Samsung, who are by far the biggest Android smartphone manufacturer, could launch and release the next versions of their flagship Galaxy S range before MWC in Barcelona, which is when the company has typically launched its flagship devices in years gone by.
With MWC scheduled to occur between 22-25 February 2016, and given normally that big press events are occurring before the conference officially kicks off, the company could once again use MWC event to show off its next flagship phones. If this was to occur it would certainly fit in with Blass’ tweeted prediction for an early-to-mid Q1 launch timeframe.
It’s also possible that Samsung could do what it did with its Galaxy Note 5 launch in August this year, and decide to announce its devices at a separate event before MWC has even kicked off.
This news also comes hot off the heels that Samsung will use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 processor in the Galaxy S7, at least for some markets. The latest powerful octa-core chips have only just been confirmed from Qualcomm and it would certainly be one of the processors to beat in the coming new year. That said, it would be interesting to pit Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 processor against Samsung’s own and recently-announced Exynos 8890 and see how it compares performance wise.
If the rumours are true though, it is believed the Snapdragon models will go for sale in China and the US, while the Exynos-equipped phones will be sold in Europe and other international markets.
But like all rumours, we will have to take this all with a grain of salt. However given at least the confirmation from Blass that a major telco is testing the next flagship Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, I would say the rumours are slightly confirmed.
I saw an article that says it might have a holographic display. Well, thank gawd – I’ve been hanging out for of these. I can’t believe such an indispensable feature has been so long coming. Let’s hope they, and other manufacturers, continue to focus on these basics rather than more esoteric matters like battery life and whether it’s possible to operate without using all 4 limbs in concert.
Why does Samsung use different processors in different countries? And why does Samsung use Snapdragon at all when it’s developed its own processor? I don’t understand it!
There are lots of reasons. Sometimes Qualcomm can deliver better at scale, price and timing. Samsung’s own silicon isn’t always ready for that. It may be running late, have design issues to overcome, be too expensive to manufacture or be unable to scale to Samsung’s huge global needs. Their semiconductor business is run separate and must win a contract with Samsung Mobile to provide silicon for individual devices. There are so many other factors that come into play. Efficiency of the design (ie battery charge drawn by the SoC). Overheating – Samsung pipped Qualcomm with the GS6 silicon because of… Read more »