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Next year’s iPhone-killers are already in trouble

Published Dec 4th, 2014 1:45PM EST
iPhone 6 vs. Galaxy S6 vs. LG G4
Image: MacMixing | YouTube

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Apple’s rivals are currently working on new Android flagship handsets meant to compete against the iPhone 6 models and next-gen iOS smartphones, including Samsung, LG, HTC and others. But these companies are apparently facing certain unexpected issues that might lead to big problems in the near future.

FROM EARLIER: New rumor claims Samsung’s Galaxy S6 will be completely redesigned ‘from scratch’

Handsets like the Galaxy S6, the LG G4, the Xperia Z4 and the HTC One (M9) are expected to launch in the first half of next year, but Business Korea is already reporting that the first three aforementioned phones may be delayed by issues Qualcomm is having with the Snapdragon 810 System-on-Chip (SoC) that will likely power these devices.

“Qualcomm is faced with hard-to-solve problems. The Snapdragon 810 overheats when it reaches a specific voltage. It also slows down owing to problems with the RAM controller connected to the AP. In addition, there is an error in the driver of the Adreno 430 GPU,” an unnamed industry source revealed.

The Snapdragon 810 is supposed to be an octa-core SoC packing a quad-core A57 cluster and a quad-core A53 cluster. It will also have 64-bit and Ultra HD display support.

Even though Samsung will likely equip some Galaxy S6 versions with its own octa-core Exynos chips, as it did in previous years, the company might still need the Snapdragon 810 chips for most Galaxy S6 versions.

As for LG, the company doesn’t yet have a viable chip solution of its own for next-gen high-end smartphones, and might be hit even harder by a Snapdragon 810 manufacturing delay.

At this time, it’s not clear when the Galaxy S6, LG G4, Xperia Z4 and other Android flagships supposed to launch in the first half of 2015 will actually be unveiled, so it’s too soon to say if these companies are facing a serious issue.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.