Samsung has always been working on different new devices at once. While developing new hardware, the company leaves subtle hints for the upcoming devices in the existing software builds. In the latest development, folks at mobile software development community, XDA developers have spotted files mentioning the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 8150 chipset as well as Samsung’s first foldable smartphone in the Android Pie firmware for the Galaxy S9.
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Winner, the Code Name for Samsung’s First Foldable Smartphone
Samsung has reportedly been working on its first foldable smartphone for a while now. The device was earlier reported to come out under the Galaxy Note branding. The company is expected to start the production of the device, code-named ‘Winner’, in November this year. The device could come with a launch price of around $2000. Samsung has confirmed that the device will launch by the end of this year. There is no confirmation on the specifications of the device yet but the device has been spotted in the recently-leaked Android Pie firmware for the Samsung Galaxy S9.
The file name mentions “winnerlte” which suggests that the device is powered by an Exynos chipset instead of a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, which would give the name “winnerlte” to the variant. The upcoming foldable Samsung smartphone is expected to feature a Samsung Exynos 9810 or Exynos 9820. There is no information on the global launch of the device. But we can expect the device to launch with Android Pie since its configuration files appear in the Android Pie framework files. The foldable smartphone from Samsung is rumored to feature a 7-inch tall foldable display.
Policy File for Qualcomm Snapdragon 8150 Also Spotted
Besides the file for the foldable smartphone, the Android Pie framework files for Galaxy S9 also contained a policy file for Qualcomm Snapdragon 8150 chipset, which is yet to be released. The unreleased Qualcomm chipset is apparently the marketing name for the chipset succeding Qualcomm Snapdragon 845.
The upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 8150 is rumored to be the first Qualcomm chipset that will come with a dedicated neural processing unit (NPU). A dedicated NPU allows the chipset to process large chunks of data for better and faster machine learning functionalities. The latest chipsets from tech giant Apple and Huawei already come with NPUs. Apple rolled out their first chipset with a dedicated NPU with the A11 Bionic equipped in the iPhone X last year. Huawei, on the other hand, introduced a dedicated NPU with the Kirin 970. Android holds an API that can make use of these neural processing units so developers can make machine learning-enhanced apps. The policy file for the upcoming Snapdragon 8150 most likely belongs to the Galaxy S10 and not ‘Winner’.
It aligns with the reports of the launch of a special 5G variant of the Galaxy S10. Samsung Experience framework builds usually contain the information of multiple devices. Let’s see when the Korean giant launches the foldable device or the Galaxy S10 variant with Snapdragon 8150.
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