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See the Exynos-powered Galaxy S7 edge out its US Snapdragon 820 sibling [Video]

The Galaxy S7 and its curved-screen sibling are fast phones. Incredibly fast. Despite the demanding QHD panels, 4GB of RAM paired with a snappy processor keep things consistently smooth. However, unlike last year’s entire Galaxy S6 family – which mounted the Samsung-made Exynos 7420 – for 2016 Samsung decided to restore some faith in Qualcomm, whose faulty Snapdragon 810 processor gave certain devices more than one issue last year. In the United States, in fact, both Galaxy S7s use a Snapdragon 820 SoC; a choice which of course needed to lead to some controversy…


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Galaxy S7 speed test indicates Exynos-powered models are faster than Snapdragon versions

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Months before the Galaxy S7 was officially announced, rumors surrounding the device predicted that some regions would get a model equipped with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon processor while other markets received an Exynos-powered version. Those rumors came to pass, and early benchmarks suggested that GPU performance was far better on the Snapdragon models than it was on the Exynos-equipped phones. In contradictory fashion, a couple of new comparison videos suggest those benchmark results were more than a little misleading.


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The Galaxy S7 might have a ‘chipgate’ of its own, but most users probably won’t notice

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Among the numerous changes made by Samsung with last year’s pair of Galaxy S6 flagships, the decision to stick with the Exynos 7420 everywhere the device was shipped stood out particularly. Common practice for the South Korean giant was to manufacture its high-end handsets with Snapdragon chips in the mainstream markets of Europe and the United States, while delivering an Exynos-powered experience in Asia.

Given the Snapdragon 810’s notorious over-heating problems, however, it was probably a good decision; but Qualcomm set to come back in full swing this year, obtaining a deal that sees US-bound Galaxy S7s equipped with their SoC. This, however, seems to have created major discrepancies between the two models’ performances; according to AnTuTu tests, a negligible 5% difference sets the two models apart as far as CPU power goes, while up to a massive 32% gap separates the greatly superior Snapdragon 820 from the seemingly under-performing Exynos 8890 in GPU-related benchmarks…


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Like the Galaxy S7, Sony’s Xperia X and X Performance have no Quick-Charge 3.0 support despite compatible processors

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A couple of days back, it came to light that Samsung had opted not to include Qualcomm’s latest fast-charging technology in the Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge. This decision was made despite the fact that US, China and Japan’s models are equipped with the Snapdragon 820 processor, which we know is capable of supporting Quick-Charge 3.0. Sony, likewise it seems, has opted not to include Quick Charge 3.0 support in any of its new Xperia X phones.


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Xiaomi ‘Gemini’ benchmark leaks, suggests Snapdragon 820 will be really fast

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Qualcomm promised when it launched the Snapdragon 820 that it’s next processor would offer a huge jump in performance and efficiency over its predecessor. If a benchmark result on Geekbench is anything to go by, those claims look like they’ll be true. Those worried by the fact it’s ‘only’ quad-core should stop worrying now.


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Samsung Galaxy S7 firmware development reportedly begins, could signal early announcement

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Samsung has begun development on the firmware for both versions of the upcoming Galaxy S7, according to reports (via SamMobile). Development on both G930FXXU0AOK6 and G935FXXU0AOK6 started this month, perhaps signaling the phone could arrive earlier than usual. Last year, the same development work didn’t start until December, and the phone was announced at the beginning of March, at MWC in Barcelona. If there’s a similar gap between development and release this time around, we could see a phone announced as early as January or early February…


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Snapdragon 820 processor officially announced, features Quick-Charge 3.0, Adreno 530 GPU, 600Mbps LTE cat. 12, more

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After months of testing, and pre-release teasers, Qualcomm has finally taken the wraps off its next generation flagship Snapdragon processor. The Snapdragon 820 has a number of capabilities and features which should mean all parts of your phone experience are fast and efficient. Surprisingly, the chip features half the number of cores found in the 810 chip, but promises to boost performance across the board…


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Qualcomm: Rumors of Snapdragon 820 overheating are not true

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A couple of days back, rumors emerged claiming that Samsung was working hard to deal with heating problems found while testing the Snapdragon 820 processor in its upcoming Galaxy S7. Although it’s similar to the rumors surrounding the SD810 last year, it was still surprising. Qualcomm stated earlier in the year that its next processor has enhanced performance and efficiency. A stance which the manufacturer was keen to repeat on Weibo having seen those Samsung rumors:

Some recent media reports about Xiaolong 820 rumors performance is not real news.Xiaolong 820 processor all IP modules are to achieve improvement and enhancement, and the use of second-generation 14-nanometer manufacturing process. Xiaolong 820 reached all our design specifications. More importantly, the Xiaolong 820 OEM manufacturers to meet the requirements of its terminal cooling and performance specifications

Qualcomm is no stranger to controversy surrounding the performance of its mobile processors. Last year, the Snapdragon 810 was dropped from the Galaxy S6 before launch, allegedly due to overheating problems. (Qualcomm denied those reports too.) Even devices that shipped with the chip had to under-clock them to deal with the problem, forcing Qualcomm to ship a revised edition. This was a major factor in Qualcomm’s disastrous year. A lack of confidence in new Snapdragon processors, and the rise of competitive lower-priced chips forced the company to make drastic cuts.

The Snapdragon 820, like its predecessor, is facing controversy even before it’s launched, and that’s not good news for Qualcomm. Even if the rumors aren’t true, it won’t do much to inspire confidence in the brand and could lead to a rise in orders from companies like MediaTek and Intel.

Report claims Samsung modifying Snapdragon 820 for Galaxy S7 due to ‘heat problems’

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A new report from Business Korea has a striking air of familiarity about it. According to the site’s sources, Samsung is working hard to ‘stabilize’ Qualcomm’s next generation Snapdragon 820 processor. Samsung is purportedly modifying the processor’s control program to deal with its ‘heat problems’. If that doesn’t work, it will build a radiating pipe in to its next flagship phones to stop the processor from overheating…


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Sketchy Samsung Galaxy S7 rumors: Built from Magnesium alloy, better audio and January release

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Now that all of this year’s biggest flagships have been unveiled and released, it seems now is the time to turn our attention to the next lot. Samsung’s Galaxy S7 has been in the press a number of times recently, and an increasing number of rumors have arisen over the past few days. Reports and posts from MyDrivers and Weibo (two sources with less-than-reliable track records) suggests that we’ll see a phone built from a Magnesium alloy and have improved sound…

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Report: Samsung Galaxy S7 will have Snapdragon 820 in US & Chinese markets, Exynos elsewhere

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Following evidence suggesting that Samsung has tested at least two revisions of the Snapdragon 820 processor in its next flagship, the Galaxy S7, a new report claims that the upcoming smartphone will indeed ship with Qualcomm’s next high-end chip. Korean publication, ETNews claims that Samsung will be targeting its biggest markets (America and China) with the SD820-equipped smartphone…


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‘Project Lucky’ Samsung handset, likely the Galaxy S7, appears in benchmarks

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A Galaxy S7 render that’s not real at all

Samsung brought the Galaxy Note5 (sic) and Galaxy S6 Edge+ to market faster than expected (maybe to beat the Apple hype train?), and it looks like they’re pushing the next flagship Galaxy S handset — assumably the Galaxy S7 — through production just as fast. A Samsung device simply labeled as “Lucky-LTE” made its way through Geekbench yesterday, and now a report from the usually-reliable SamMobile claims that the device is indeed an early prototype of the Samsung Galaxy S7…
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Snapdragon 820 will be first chip to include Qualcomm’s anti-malware Smart Protect feature

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In a press release this morning, Qualcomm announced a brand new technology to help keep us protected from potential malware threats on our smartphones. Smart Protect will be built into chips in the near future and provide “real-time, on-device machine learning designed to support accurate and effective detection of zero-day malware threats for improved personal privacy and device security”. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 chip will be the first to feature the new technology when it hits the market in 2016.


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Snapdragon 820 will boost photo quality & battery life, says Qualcomm – but Huawei-made Nexus may not get it

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Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 820 chip, which has been rumored to be powering the Huawei-made 5.7-inch Nexus due to ship later this year, will come with a new Adreno 530 GPU, says the chipmaker. The new GPU will offer improved battery-life when watching movies or playing graphics-intensive games, and will also offer significantly improved image-processing when taking photos, said Tim Leland, head of Qualcomm’s visual processing group.

Our Adreno 5xx-class GPU, brings an entirely new level of imaging to smartphones, and is designed to allow Snapdragon-powered devices to capture ultra-clear, vivid photos and videos regardless of motion and lighting conditions and display them with the color accuracy that nature intended … 


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Next ASUS PadFone S2 could feature Snapdragon 820, 5.5-inch QHD screen and 4GB RAM

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A recent leak suggests ASUS is planning on releasing a PadFone S2 during by the first quarter of 2016. By the time it arrives, it’ll be the first PadFone in over a year and could be one of the first to feature Snapdragon‘s next-generation 820 series chip.

When it comes to innovation, or just doing things differently, ASUS caught our attention a few years ago when it first unveiled the PadFone. The company released a phone which slid in to a dock built in to a large touchscreen display, transforming it in to a tablet. It was probably the first notable attempt at a convertible smartphone/tablet, and ASUS isn’t done yet.


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