Samsung’s 2013 flagship phone, the Galaxy S4, launched earlier this year with the best processor available at the time, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 600. The technology industry being what it is, everyone is already looking forward to the next big chip, the Snapdragon 800. Now Samsung has already shoved a Snapdragon 800 inside the GS4 and put it on store shelves in Korea, but according to a new rumor, this faster S4 will soon land in several other countries.
The source of the rumor is the Japanese website RBMen. They point to a benchmark done on a device called the “GT-i9506” that’s appeared in the AnTuTu database. Existing Snapdragon 800 powered GS4 models use the model numbers like SHV-E330 with a letter appended to the end to signify which operator, whereas the international Snapdragon 600 powered GS4 is called the “GT-i9505”. Here’s where things get crazy: RBMen says they know exactly when this new S4 will be announced, on September 3rd. That’s allegedly the day Samsung will hold a press conference in Berlin before the start of IFA. Sony already has an event penciled in for the 4th, so it’s easy to see why Samsung would want to be first. If all of this is true, there are going to be a lot of upset GS4 owners out there. Realistically speaking, how much better is the Snapdragon 800 compared to the 600? I asked Brian Klug, the guy who reviews smartphones for AnandTech, and this is what he told me.
— Brian Klug (@nerdtalker) June 19, 2013
