Samsung Galaxy S8
Models pose with Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S8 smartphones during a media event at a company's building in Seoul, South Korea. Reuters/ Kim Hong-Ji

Samsung has not yet gotten over the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ but the word out is that a Samsung Galaxy S9 is already in the works. Already a powerhouse, the next flagship may have its work cut out but this is where Qualcomm comes in.

As most know, a Qualcomm 835 and Exynos 8895 chipset were used on the Samsung Galaxy S8 series. By all accounts, this is already considered the fastest and most powerful chipsets any smartphone can turn to. Hence, planning for the Samsung Galaxy S9 this early brings up plenty of questions.

Samsung Galaxy S9 running on Qualcomm Snapdragon 845

The logical thing to conclude right now is seeing the Samsung Galaxy S9 run on a more powerful chip which is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845. According to the Aju Business Daily via the Investor, Samsung and Qualcomm have already collaborated for the new mobile chip. Once the development is complete, Samsung and Taiwan’s TSMC will start manufacturing the chip.

That said, Samsung is one step ahead of the rest after all. The Samsung Galaxy S8 is already advanced with the Snapdragon 835, something rival brands like LG for its LG G6 had hoped to use. Supply constraints stood in the way and likely one of the reasons why Samsung opted to release the Galaxy S8 and S8+ later than usual.

Early bird work on Snapdragon 845 explained

It would seem premature to talk about the Samsung Galaxy S9 and its vaunted Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC this early. It somehow steals some of the thunder from the latest Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ but a plausible reason was raised by Phone Arena.

Batteries have been controversial for Samsung, not referencing to the exploding packs of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. Rather, the Samsung Galaxy S-line has had to deal with battery life longevity and the current tests prove that.

As an example, a US model fell short of an hour compared to the Exynos-powered unit. Hence, Samsung and Qualcomm may be trying to figure that out as early as now and come up with improvements for the Samsung Galaxy S9.

For now, that battery life issue could be an upcoming problem for Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ owners. Samsung may resort to Android or patch updates as before on the current flagships. Hopefully, the early work on the Snapdragon 845 will pay off to offer a longer-lasting Samsung Galaxy S9 next year.

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