Samsung is going to use one of its own microprocessors in the forthcoming Galaxy S6 smartphone and is dropping Qualcomm’s chips for the first time in the history of the device family.
According to various reports Samsung tested a new version of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chip, known as the 810, and decided not to include it in the new smartphone.
It is understood that the Qualcomm 810 application processor overheated during testing.
Samsung’s S6 is expected to have an all-metal back, which is likely to have contributed to the increased heat during testing.
While the news is no doubt a blow to Qualcomm, whose quad-core processors feature in the majority of smartphones in the market today, there is a sustained effort on the part of Samsung to become more self-reliant and make use of its own technologies.
Bloomberg reported that Samsung is spending US$15bn on a new chip fabrication factory outside Seoul.
The Galaxy S6 is slated for release in March and is expected to feature some of Samsung’s most advanced chips to date.
The news sent Qualcomm shares hurtling 1.2pc in Franfurt this morning while Samsung shares rose 1.7pc in Seoul.
Qualcomm will no doubt press ahead with plans to bring out its first mainstream 64-bit mobile chip which will enable other device makers to come up with products to rival Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices.
