Details of new upper mid-range Samsung chip emerge

The Exynos 2100 that fuels the Galaxy S21 is known by the model number S5E9840 and its successor, colloquially being referred to as the Exynos 2200, is apparently the S5E9925.

Previously, leaker Ice Universe had said that Samsung would release three chips this year: a flagship Exynos 22xx SoC, a mid-tier 12xx processor, and an entry-level 8xx silicone. Judging by the model name, it seems that the newly discovered S5E8825 is a midrange chip which Samsung might call Exynos 1200. It looks like it will slot below the Exynos 2100.

In the past, it was relatively easy to differentiate between premium and mid-range chips. The Exynos 990, which powered the Galaxy S20 series, was known as the S5E9830, and the Exynos 9820 that underpinned the Galaxy S10 series had the model number S5E9820. Mid-tier Galaxy A50’s Exynos 9610 had the model number S5E9610.

Starting last year, Samsung stopped using its proprietary Mongoose cores and adopted Arm’s designs instead. That could be why it has slightly changed the model name nomenclature too as the models seem more aligned now.

The Exynos 1200 will presumably succeed the Exynos 1080 – a 5nm mid-tier chip that was announced late last year. It seems to be in advanced stages of development as it is allegedly undergoing extensive testing.

The chip reportedly has a built-in 5G modem and per a separate report, it may come with an AMD GPU. If a recent report that doesn’t come from a verifiable source is to go by, this new processor could use Arm’s Cortex X1 as the main core. 

As good as that sounds, Samsung may not use the Exynos 1200 for its phones and instead sell it to Chinese smartphone makers, as was the case with the Exynos 1080.