Samsung Drops Qualcomm 810 Processors in next Galaxy S Due To Overheating: report
Samsung Electronics will reportedly not use Qualcomm's processors for the next version of the company's flagship Galaxy S smartphone, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. Such an move would be a blow for Qualcomm's prospects for 2015,, as Samsung has been one of the U.S. company's top customers.
Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 810 chip overheated during Samsung's testing, Bloomberg reported. The South Korean company will use its own processors instead, the report added. Samsung has already used its own Exynos processors in flagship devices such as the Galaxy S5 to some extent.
There have been reports that the Snapdragon 810 chip has been dealing with a variety of performance issues that may not be corrected in time for the launch of Samsung's next Galaxy S smartphone.
The South Korean firm is widely expected to unveil the device on the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress trade show in early March.
In related news, Samsung said Wednesday it will start sales of the Galaxy A5, the latest in its low-end smartphone lineup, at home Thursday, as it seeks to expand its footing in the low-end sector.
The 5-inch Galaxy A5, equipped with a metal frame, will cost around 484,000 won ($445.26) at home, the company said. It is equipped with a 13-megapixel rear camera with a 2,300 mAh battery capacity.
Samsung said its 5-megapixel front camera also allows users to take better selfies. It is also able to take wide-angle photos expanding up to 120 degrees.
The Galaxy A5 is equipped with a HD Super active mode organic light-emitting diode display with a quad-core processor.
Samsung will also launch another metal-framed model, the Galaxy A7, only 6.3 mm thick, in major emerging markets at the end of January.
With a 5.5-inch display, the Galaxy A7 is the thinnest smartphone ever released by Samsung. It also boasts a Full HD AMOLED display with an octa-core processor.
The price tag on the Galaxy A7 stands at 583,000 won.
Samsung is facing strong competition in S. Korea by Apple. mainly due to the success of the iPhone 6 series.
Apple captured a record 33 percent market share in South Korea in November, according to a monthly report released by Hong Kong-based market research company Counterpoint on Wednesday. In contrast, Samsung's share slipped to 46 percent after hovering around 60 percent for five months.