Samsung Galaxy S23 could use an in-house chip after all

The overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 rumoured to be found in the Samsung Galaxy S23 range could be made by Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S23 Android phone
(Image credit: 4RMD)

With the Samsung Galaxy S23 set to be released in a little over three weeks' time, the rumour mill is churning out new information on a daily basis. One of the strongest leaks so far is the suggestion of the chip that will power the S23 range, with an overclocked variant of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 expected to feature inside.

What's more, the Snapdragon chip is even expected to feature in European handsets, marking a massive upgrade for users there. Previously, European version of the Samsung Galaxy range – like the Samsung Galaxy S22 and the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra – was plagued with Samsung's in-house Exynos chipset. 

Those Exynos chips just didn't stack up. They consistently posted lower benchmark scores than the same handset equipped with a Snapdragon chip, leading to speculation over Samsung's ability to keep up with other chip manufacturers.

Now, several rumours are suggesting that the variant of the Snapdragon chip used in the Samsung Galaxy S23 range could be made by the Korean tech giants after all. And it's bad news for Samsung fans.

The standard version of the chip is set to manufactured by TSMC – the same company behind the Apple Silicon chips – who also produced the previous generation Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. Historically, they've produced better, more efficient chips than Samsung.

It's a really unwanted setback for the S23 range. This already looks set to be one of the most competitive markets Samsung have ever released a phone into, with top handsets like the Google Pixel 7 Pro and the Vivo X90 Pro+ all looking to fight for the title of best Android phone.

If the processor powering the S23 can't keep up with the pack, it could be time for Samsung Galaxy fans to try a different Android phone.

Sam Cross
Staff Writer

Online news writer at T3.com, Sam has five years of experience in online and print journalism, with work featured in publications like Metro and Last Word on Sports. After years writing about music and football, Sam now turns his hand to bringing you news about new phones, smart home products, smart watches, laptops and TVs. Sam is a longtime fan and user of Apple products, including iPhones, MacBooks and Apple Watches.He’s also T3’s resident football expert, bringing you everything you need to know about the big games, including how to watch them. In his spare time, Sam is a keen guitarist, watch lover and (very) amateur golfer.