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Will the Galaxy S7 have a ‘chipgate’ problem of its own?

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 9:12PM EST

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Soon after the iPhone 6s became available to buyers last September, some users starting probing the two chip models powering iPhone 6s models. The processors should be identical, both A9 chips, but they are made by Samsung and TSMC. Some testers claimed that the TSMC one fared better in tests than the Samsung chip, even though they were supposed to offer the same performance.

Meanwhile, the upcoming Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are expected to be powered by two distinct processors from Samsung and Qualcomm, which might not offer the same performance.

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Alleged Galaxy S7 versions were spotted in multiple benchmark tests in previous weeks, but a new set of testing seems to indicate that the Samsung Exynos 8890 chipset is superior to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chip in some tests, and inferior in others.

According to Phone Arena, the SM-930W8 (Bell Galaxy S7 version) outscores the SM-G930A (AT&T Galaxy S7 version) in Geekbench multi-core tests. But in single-core tests, it’s the other way around, with the Snapdragon model coming out on top. The results seem to be in line with what previously leaked benchmarks have suggested. But they do show that both Exynos and Qualcomm Galaxy S7 versions will be available in North America.

An extensive Galaxy S7 preview said that the Exynos Galaxy S7 will be the predominant option.

The Qualcomm model scored 1873 and 5946 in single- and multi-core testing, respectively. The Exynos version got 2282 and 4979 (image above).

It’s worth nothing that these are tests performed on devices that aren’t final, which means scores might change once commercial versions of the Galaxy S7 hit stores.

Furthermore, it’s probably likely that such difference won’t be notable in real-life use, but there might certain Android buyers out there looking for a specific type of processor performance.

Once the Galaxy S7 does come out, either in March or in April, we can expect it to be compared to other flagships available to buyers, including Apple’s iPhone 6s.

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.