Is there a chance that Samsung will press the Galaxy S8 2017 release date button ahead of schedule? Two new proofs appear to suggest that the South Korean tech giant's flagship push will start earlier than expected next year - mass production of the next-generation processing chip for the device has commenced and three firmware variants for the GS8 have been leaked out.
ZDNet reported that Samsung has started mass producing the logic chips that will be specifically used for a mobile device set to be released in early 2017. "The South Korean tech giant said chips made from the process will power an IT product to be launched early next year, a likely reference to the Galaxy S8," the report said.
The chip designed for the GS8 will be manufactured using 10-nanometer process, which according to Samsung will lead to performance boost of 27 percent compared to the 14nm process. Also, the former is projected to deliver up to 40 percent more efficient use of energy, promising longer operating hours for mobile devices powered by the chip.
Samsung also indicated that its next-gen processor will utilize "triple patterning" during the wholesale production that allows for "designing the chips to be smaller." In theory, more inner space will be freed up using the 10nm chip that will permit the use of larger battery with higher energy juice capacity or encourage mobile device designer to create slimmer and lighter handsets.
The latest development aligns with the recent leaks suggesting that for the Galaxy S8, Samsung plans to use both its in-house Exynos 8895 chip and a Snapdragon processor that possibly the company will co-develop with Qualcomm. The latter is thought to be the Snapdragon 830.
Recent rumors also claimed that any of the two processors powering the GS8 will likely tap on up to 6GB of RAM support.
And likely serving as the latest indicators that Samsung has set the Galaxy S8 production in motion, WCCFTech reported that the three firmware variants for the GS8 have leaked out. The three GS8 OS versions are set for deployment in key markets namely the United States, Europe and Samsung's home base South Korea.
WCCFTech listed the firmware as the following: G955FXXE0APJ3, G955FOXA0APJ2 and G955FXXE0AP. The report, however, did not specify which OS build will be provided for which region.
But even as speculations are rife that the Galaxy S8 release date could happen earlier than expected, WCCFTech made clear on its report that Samsung provided "no hints for expedited progress on the device." Rumors say unpacking of the GS8 will happen as early as February 26 while the commercial debut is set March 2017.