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Saying the new Samsung Galaxy S11 will use the latest flagship chipset from Samsung/Qualcomm is about the most obvious piece of news reporting possible in tech.
So as you probably already knew the Samsung Galaxy S11 will come in the usual two variations with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 for the US, and the flagship Exynos for China and the EU.
The newsworthy bit is what the chipset is, it is now being claimed that Samsung will use the unannounced Exynos 9830, which you may have expected a couple of months ago. But recently Samsung announced the Exynos 990, which has not been formally classed as their flagship chipset, but the specification would suggest so.
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- Samsung Exynos 9611 vs 9610 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 vs 675 vs 710 Comparison
Quite often with leaks, companies will use codenames for the chipsets, so the Qualcomm numbering of SDM8250 for SD865 doesn’t match up, but in this case, Samsung has properly announced the Exynos 990, so it is not the codename.
The Exynos 9830 name was identified in lines of code that were discovered in Samsung’s One UI 2.0 beta, the code also reveals LPDDR5 memory, UFS 3.0 storage and 5G support.
I find it hard to believe that Samsung would launch a second chipset that has similar flagship specs to the Exynos 990 and until further information is revealed I would be inclined to think that they are the same chipset and that Samsung has decided to rename Exynos 9830,
The Exynos 990 brings some significant improvements over last years Exynos 9820 using a smaller fabrication process, the new Exynos M5 microarchitecture for the CPU and the Mali G77MP11 GPU. Unlike other companies, it lacks a built-in modem and instead will resort on the Exynos Modem 5123 capable of 5G.
The leak also suggests that the phone will have a face unlock feature, which isn’t a new thing again, but confirms we are not getting an elevating selfie camera and Samsung is likely sticking with the punch hole design.
Currently not too much has been revealed about the new Samsung Galaxy S11 we can almost certainly expect them to announce it in February just before MWC. I would expect a big camera improvement, Samsung manufacture 48MP and 64MP camera sensors and have announced a 108MP sensor. It is also claimed they will add in 5x optical zoom.
There will definitely be a 5G version, but it is possible there may not be a 4G version, I would say this is unlikely though.
| Exynos 990 | Exynos 9820 / 9825 | HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G | Snapdragon 855 Plus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Process | Samsung 7nm LPP (EUV) | 8nm LPP / 7nm LPP (EUV) | 7nm EUV | 7nm (N7) |
| CPU Cores | Octa-Core, 64-bit | Octa-Core, 64-bit | Octa-Core, 64-bit | Octa-Core, 64-bit |
| CPU | 2x Exynos M5 @ ? GHz (+20% perf) 2x Cortex A76 @ ? GHz 4x Cortex A55 @ ? GHz | 2x Exynos M4 @ 2.73 GHz 2x 512KB pL2 3 MB L3 2x Cortex A75 @ 2.31 / 2.4GHz 2x 256KB pL2 4x Cortex A55 @ 1.95 GHz No pL2's 1MB L3 | 2x Cortex-A76 @ 2.86GHz 2x Cortex-A76 @ 2.36GHz 4x Cortex-A55 @ 1.95GHz (4MB shared L3 cache) | 1x Kryo 485 Gold (A76) @ 2.84GHz 1x512KB 3x Kryo 485 Gold (A76) @ 2.42GHz 3x256KB 4x Kryo 485 Silver (A55) @ 1.80GHz 4x128KB |
| GPU | Mali G77MP11 @ ? MHz | Mali G76MP12 @ 702 MHz | Mali-G76 MP16 | Adreno 640 @ 585MHz |
| NPU | Dual NPU + DSP >10 TOPs | Dual NPU 1.86 TOPs | 2+1 NPU with real time cloud AI | Yes (Hexagon 690 DSP) |
| RAM | LPDDR5 @ 2750MHz | 4x 16-bit CH LPDDR4X @ 2093MHz 2MB System Cache | LPDDR4X @ 2133MHz | 4x 16-bit CH @ 2133 MHz LPDDR4x 34.1GB/s |
| ISP | Single: 108MP Dual: 24.8MP+24.8MP | Rear: 22MP Front: 22MP Dual: 16MP+16MP | ISP 5.0 | Dual 14-bit Spectra 380 ISP 1x 48MP or 2x 22 MP |
| Video Playback & Codecs | 8K30 & 4K120 encode & decode H.265/HEVC, H.264, VP9 | 8K30 & 4K150 encode & decode H.265/HEVC, H.264, VP9 | 4K @ 30fps - capture 4K @ 60fps playback | 2160p60 10-bit H.265 HDR10, HDR10+, HLG 720p480 |
| Modem | Exynos Modem External (LTE Category 24/22) DL = 3000 Mbps 8x20MHz CA, 1024-QAM UL = 422 Mbps 2x20MHz CA, 256-QAM (5G NR Sub-6) DL = 5100 Mbps (5G NR mmWave) DL = 7350 Mbps | Exynos Modem Integrated (LTE Category 20/20) DL = 2000 Mbps 8x20MHz CA, 256-QAM UL = 316 Mbps 3x20MHz CA, 256-QAM | 5G 2.3Gbps | Snapdragon X24 LTE (Category 20) DL = 2000Mbps 7x20MHz CA, 256-QAM, 4x4 UL = 316Mbps 3x20MHz CA, 256-QAM |
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.
