If you were hoping to get your hands on the upcoming LG G6 or Nokia’s much awaited flagship, sporting Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835 processor, then you might be out of luck. Looks like no smartphone will be launched with the coveted processor until April 2017.
So, what’s happened?
Well, as per two corroborating reports from Forbes and The Verge, Samsung has dibs on the Snapdragon 835 processor, since it is helping Qualcomm build the same. A source told Forbes that the Snapdragon 835 “won’t be available in large quantities until after the Galaxy S8 launch.” It has been learnt that Samsung is hoarding the chipset which promises to deliver 5 hours of smartphone usage with just five minutes of charge time.
The LG G6 which is tipped to make its first appearance at the Mobile World Congress 2017, was expected to house the Snapdragon 835 processor, but looks like it will come with last year’s flagship SoC, Snapdragon 821. While LG will enjoy the upper hand in releasing their flagship device at the event, which has been Samsung’s launchpad for years, Samsung seems to have trumped LG in the SoC race.
Moreover, a report as recent as yesterday confirmed that Nokia is also working on a smartphone powered by the SD 835 chipset, but looks like that device might be scheduled to launch post April 2017.
Which will be the first phone to sport SD 835?
You guessed it right, the Samsung Galaxy S8 will most probably be the first device to officially be powered by Qualcomm’s hero chipset. The new chip has replaced the Snapdragon 821 to become Qualcomm’s flagship SoC, and contrary to previous reports, will only be available in smartphones other than Samsung, post April 2017.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 has been rumoured to release on April 14, with the official launch slated in March, reports Forbes. Another leak from Korea’s ETNews pegs the S8’s date of availability as April 15, supporting the former report.
The conclusion?
If these reports are to be believed, Android fans will have to wait until after April to own a smartphone powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 835. Samsung plans to deprive the Android world till then and we may just have to accept the fact that MWC 2017 will not see a smartphone that houses the much awaited processor upgrade.