Samsung Galaxy S22 could get fastest RAM ever in a phone
This could be Samsung's secret weapon against the iPhone 13
The Samsung Galaxy S22 could be a cutting edge phone on the inside, if it uses the company's latest innovation in memory tech.
Samsung has announced its development of a new kind of RAM, LPDDR5X DRAM, promising big upgrades to speed and power efficiency. If this makes it into the Galaxy S22, Samsung could have a mighty phone on its hands.
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This innovative new kind of memory is Low Power Double Data Rate 5X, or LPDDR5X for short. Most smartphones sold this year use the previous generation, LPDDR5, which is already pretty quick. However, Samsung promises that LPDDR5X offers a 1.3x increase in data processing speed over LPDDR5, while using 20% less power.
Smartphones may not be the only use though. Samsung mentions 5G, metaverse, AI, servers and cars as other potential applications in its LPDDR5X RAM.
Samsung said production of these RAM modules will begin with its manufacturing partners later in the year. Therefore, it is a possibility that LPDDR5X RAM won't be production-ready in time for the Galaxy S22's launch, expected in February of 2022. We may have to wait until the Galaxy S23 (or whatever Samsung calls it) the following year, or for a different 2022 flagship like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, or perhaps a different phone from outside Samsung's stable, before LPDDR5X is put to use.
Exynos 2200 could be about to launch
In further Samsung news (via TechRadar), the company seems to be teasing the arrival of its next Exynos chipset through a gaming-themed event promo on Instagram. It's been widely rumored that the Galaxy S22 will use this chip, named the Exynos 2200, although recent statements from leakers claim that Samsung may in fact be using a Snapdragon chip in all its Galaxy S22 models worldwide, rather than only in the U.S.
The Exynos 2200 already looks to be a powerful chip, based on leaked benchmarks believed to belong to it. More exciting than its raw computing power though is the possibility that it could feature an AMD GPU, potentially with ray tracing capabilities, that could elevate mobile gaming to another level.
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Samsung's Exynos event takes place on November 19, so we'll hopefully find out more about the 2200 chip there. As for the RAM, beyond its official announcement today, it'll likely be a few months before we hear of its first use cases in phones.
While we've still got a few months until the rumored launch date of the Galaxy S22, we have plenty of juicy leaked information already. There will be three models to choose from once again, with the basic S22 and S22 Plus (also possibly called the S22 Pro) offering a basic but still well-featured flagship experience in a new, more compact frame. The Galaxy S22 Ultra will build on last year's model by adding the Galaxy S series' first built-in stylus, according to the leaks, positioning this model as the successor to the abandoned Samsung Galaxy Note 21.
Another tipped upgrade is wireless charging on the Galaxy S22 could also get a boost with it jumping from 15W to 25W, which should lead to faster charring times without the wires.
Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.