We’re slowly approaching the Galaxy S9 rumors season, as the phone is expected to launch a bit earlier than its predecessor. Recent reports said the upcoming flagship will have a dual lens camera on the back like the Galaxy Note 9, which is also where the fingerprint sensor will be stuck for one more year at least. A different rumor said the Galaxy S9 is supposed to enjoy a short Snapdragon 845 exclusivity, which is expected to be next year’s top Qualcomm platform for Android devices.
Samsung, meanwhile, quietly unveiled its next-gen mobile processor that’s supposed to power flagship devices, like the Galaxy S9 and Note 9 coming next year. It also introduced a new camera that will let smartphone manufacturers, Samsung included, come up with even thinner devices.
Just like with every Galaxy S phone before, Samsung is expected to use Exynos and Qualcomm chips inside the Galaxy S9 and Note 9. We already knew the Snapdragon 845 will be Qualcomm’s next flagship chip, and we know the name of the next best thing when it comes to the Exynos line.
Buried in a press release announcing Samsung’s 36 CES 2018 Innovation Awards was this gem:
Exynos 9 Series 9810 The Exynos 9 Series 9810 is Samsung’s latest flagship processor, with 3rd-generation custom CPU cores, upgraded GPU, and gigabit LTE modem with industry-first 6CA support. It is built on 2nd generation 10nm process technology.
That sure sounds like the next-gen Galaxy S chip to me. And from the looks of it, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9 might not get 8nm chips, even though Samsung said a few weeks ago that it’s ready to mass-produce them. Instead, we’re looking at a new generation of 10nm processors for Android flagships.
Samsung also listed one other interesting innovation in its press release, the Isocell SLIM 2X7, which promises thinner camera modules for premium phones next year. This seems to suggest that Samsung wants to make an even thinner Galaxy S and Note flagships:
Samsung ISOCELL Slim 2X7 – Samsung ISOCELL Slim 2X7 is a 24-megapixel image sensor with 0.9μm pixels, the smallest pixel in the industry, plus Tetracell and remosaic technology to simulate bigger pixel performance. The small 0.9μm pixel size enables a 24Mp image sensor to be fitted in a thinner camera module, allowing premium smartphones to offer high-resolution cameras in a very slim and elegant design.
Naturally, Samsung makes no mention of the Galaxy S9 in its announcement, so don’t get too excited just yet.
