Independence from Qualcomm
According to industry sources on Feb. 11, Samsung Electronics' system LSI business is stepping up efforts to develop a high-performance single-chip solution with the application processor (AP) and modem integrated together into a single chip. The unit is aiming at mass producing the single-chip solution from the fourth quarter of this year, which will reportedly be featured in a successor to the Galaxy S6, which is scheduled to be released in March.
So far, the Korean tech giant has only used its own single-chip solution in some mid to low-priced models, and has depended on Qualcomm for APs used in smartphones with higher specs.
However, Samsung has recently been able to enhance its technical manpower for APs and modems. The company is aiming at using its single-chip solution in future models, following the Galaxy S6. It is actively seeking to reduce its heavy dependence on the world's largest mobile chipset maker for APs, as the firm wants to wean itself from the Android operating system (OS) through its own Tizen OS.
As Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 has been embroiled in an overheating controversy, Samsung has decided not to use the controversial AP in the upcoming Galaxy S6, but still uses modems made by Qualcomm. Nevertheless, the Korean firm is said to have nearly overtaken the number one chipmaker in terms of product performance, stemming from its rapid improvement in technical skills for APs and modems. In particular, Samsung's Exynos 7420 chipset is proven to be superior to the Snapdragon 810 in numerous performance tests. Its latest modem is also ahead of Qualcomm's product in terms of the ability to support telecommunications, aside from power efficiency and stability.