Samsung could lose exclusivity to the faster Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 variant

What you need to know

• Qualcomm's higher-clocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor could no longer be exclusive to Samsung phones in the near future.
• A new leak claims this chipset will be available on other Android smartphones later this year.
• The overclocked processor could make its way to brands like Asus, OnePlus, and Xiaomi.

Samsung set its latest flagship phone series apart from the competition by using an overclocked version of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset exclusively, though that monopoly could soon come to an end.

According to tipster Digital Chat Station, the higher-clocked "Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy" chipset will make its way to other Android brands. The tipster did not mention any specific OEM, but Android Authority speculates that Asus, OnePlus, and Xiaomi are among the most likely candidates.

If this pans out, we might see the exclusive Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 variant included in future flagship offerings from those companies in the later part of 2023.

For Samsung, this could mean losing exclusivity to one of the best things about the latest and greatest Galaxy phones. The overclocked processor is the result of a partnership between Qualcomm and the South Korean tech giant, making the Galaxy S23 series the fastest Snapdragon-powered handsets.

The main distinction between the standard and the "for Galaxy" variant is faster CPU and GPU performance. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip has a faster prime core than the standard variant, topping out at 3.36GHz, while the prime core in the standard variant maxes out at 3.2GHz. This difference in clock speed translates to a slight performance advantage for the Galaxy variant.

Other than the faster prime core, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy is identical to the standard variant in many ways. It uses the same 4nm process, has the same 8 CPU cores, and is paired with the same Adreno 740 GPU.

This means the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy is a minor upgrade over the standard version, but it should provide a noticeable performance boost for any smartphone it powers, if at all it becomes available to non-Samsung handsets.

Samsung Galaxy S23+

The Galaxy S23+ follows in the footsteps of last year's model, with the same overall design and display. However, it benefits greatly from the new Snapdragon chipset (as well as leaving Exynos behind) and improved security. Depending on your tastes, the Ultra-inspired camera design will be appealing or boring.