Samsung may be toying with the idea of returning to Qualcomm for its next-generation Galaxy S7, but is reportedly looking to add a heat pipe to avoid overheating issues with the Snapdragon 820 processor.
Qualcomm went under fire recently after an increasing number of reports blamed its Snapdragon 810 chipset for overheating. Samsung typically packed its flagship smartphones with Qualcomm processors, but with its latest handsets it decided to go for in-house Exynos chipsets rather than the controversial Snapdragon 810.
Qualcomm now has a new high-end mobile processor ready to power the 2016 flagships, and stated several times that its Snapdragon 820 does not have any overheating issues. Nevertheless, OEMs may want to take extra steps just to make sure that's the case.
Some smartphone makers such as Sony or Microsoft already took their own measures to ensure the Snapdragon 810 doesn't overheat, and more may go down this path with the Snapdragon 820. Samsung could be one of them, as the South Korean handset maker is reportedly planning to launch its Galaxy S7 flagship with a Snapdragon 820 under the hood, but paired with a special heat pipe or liquid cooling tech so hat any potential extra heat could dissipate without causing trouble.
There's still quite a debate regarding Samsung's purported choice of processor for its Galaxy S7, but the latest report out of Asia (via GforGames) reveals that Samsung is looking for heat pipe suppliers. This, in turn, bolsters claims that the Snapdragon 820 could be in the cards after all, albeit with a little extra help.
Samsung is reportedly trying out various heat pipes of different shapes, but it has yet to reach a decision whether it will indeed go through with it. If it decides to implement this solution, the Galaxy S7 would not be the first smartphone to employ a heat pipe, but it would be the first one in Samsung's lineup.
It's all still in the rumor state, however, so make sure to treat this news accordingly. Samsung has yet to offer any official information regarding its upcoming Galaxy S7 and it's best to take everything with a grain of salt for now. We'll keep you posted as soon as we learn more.
