One of the boast worthy features of this years flagships is the processor used. Most of the companies are making use of the chipset that has been produced using the 10nm fabrication process. Production through this process makes processing faster and the chipset more energy efficient. The only problem at the moment is the low yield rates for 10nm FinFET chipsets.
Most of the next generation flagships for the year will be using the chipset produced through the 10nm process. Samsung is planning to equip Galaxy S8 and S8+ with Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and the Exynos 8895, both use the 10nm fabrication process. Samsung usually unveils the S-series flagship at the MWC but this year they will be announcing it in the end of March with the flagship hitting the market on 21st April. One of the cited reasons has been the time taken for testing but the other one is the delay caused by processor production.
Sony Xperia XZ Premium also uses Snapdragon 835 and it will arrive in the market in late spring. As Samsung has first dibs on Snapdragon 835 chipset, that makes it a little difficult for other brands to their hands on the chipset. This is one of the reasons that LG ended up using Snapdragon 821 for its G6 flagship. Apart from Qualcomm, flagships that will use MediaTek’s Helio X30 by TSMC will also face a considerable delay. You will see smartphones using this SoC hit the market in Q2.
The report did not mention if Samsung Galaxy S8 will be off schedule, just that the delay in the manufacturing process will make the flagships using the 10nm chipsets late this year.
