The CPU tipped to power the Samsung Galaxy S30 and many of 2021's other top Android phones has been revealed via a new leak.
Details of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 875 have been relayed to 91Mobiles via one of its readers. We don't know how reliable this reader is as a source, but the information given at least makes sense given the precedent of the Snapdragon 865 powering this year's Android flagships.
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The chips will be made by Taiwanese semiconductor foundry TSMC. TSMC also makes chips for Apple, since the technology required to make modern CPUs is only available to a small number of companies.
The 875 will be Qualcomm's first 5-nanometre (nm) chip. Compared to the 7nm process used on the Snapdragon 865 or Apple's A13 Bionic, there can either be a reduction in the CPU's total size or more transistors on the same silicon footprint.
Either way, this translates to more performance and greater power efficiency, the two things you definitely want from a new generation of CPU. The Snapdragon 875 will also feature an X60 5G modem for 5G connectivity, although it's uncertain whether this will be optional like the X50 is for the 865, or integrated. What we do know is that it will work with both mmWave and sub6Ghz versions of 5G, so you won't have to worry about taking your 875-powered phone to an area that doesn't support a certain version.
Qualcomm isn't alone in creating new, denser chips. Apple's A14 CPU, which will appear in the iPhone 12, is rumored to use a 5nm process, as is Samsung's next Exynos CPU, likely to appear in the Galaxy S30 models sold outside of the USA.
We'll probably see the new Snapdragon chip appear in December, when Qualcomm has historically held launch events. This could change because of coronavirus-related disruptions, so we'll have to wait for official word from Qualcomm on that one.
