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

(Image credit: 4RMD)

published 10 January 2023

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.

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Sam is an award-winning journalist with over six years of experience across print and digital media. As T3’s Senior Staff Writer, Sam covers everything from new phones and EVs to luxury watches and fragrances. Working across a range of different social media platforms alongside his written work, Sam is a familiar face for fans of T3. When he’s not reviewing snazzy products or hunting for stellar deals, Sam enjoys football, analog photography and writing music.