In what could be considered the quickest transition of a rumor into an official confirmation, Samsung and Qualcomm have announced that the latter’s new Snapdragon 835 mobile chipset will be manufactured using Samsung’s 10 nm FinFET process technology. Set to make its way into devices in the first half of 2017 (likely in the US version of the Galaxy S8 in addition to other flagships), the Snapdragon 835 – according to Samsung and Qualcomm – will enable manufacturers to fit more components inside their devices, as the 10 nm process will result in a smaller footprint for the chipset.
Samsung says its 10 nm technology will allow a 30 percent increase in area efficiency with a 27 percent jump in performance compared to chips based on the 14 nm process, or a 40 percent reduction in power consumption. Given the increasing reports of exploding smartphones (even other than the Note 7), chip makers are likely going to opt for the improved power consumption numbers. Oddly, this is also a confirmation that Qualcomm will not be using the Snapdragon 830 moniker for its next flagship mobile chip, although we could see the Snapdragon 830 make its way to market as a lower-tier version of the 835 later down the line.
Needless to say, Samsung’s own Exynos chip – the new Exynos 8895 – will be also using the company’s 10 nm process next year, although there is no official word on the same at the moment. In any case, this announcement is yet another feather in Samsung’s cap; the Korean giant’s chipset business is expected to be one of its main growth factors in the coming years, and Qualcomm’s decision to collaborate with Samsung once again can only mean good things for the latter’s finances (which have been severely affected by the Galaxy Note 7 recall).
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