Qualcomm has not yet officially announced the Snapdragon 845, but the successor to the Snapdragon 835 appears to have been inadvertently confirmed in the chipmaker's ongoing legal battle with Apple.
The Snapdragon 845 is believed to be coming to a future Samsung smartphone, but not in the Galaxy Note 8 which will launch later this year.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845: Confirmed
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 was first rumored in an April report that claimed the chipset will first arrive on Samsung's Galaxy S9. In addition, it is believed that Qualcomm and Samsung are working together for the next-generation processor, which likely means that Samsung will enjoy a limited-time exclusivity period for the chipset similar to what it had for the Snapdragon 835.
There has so far been no confirmation that Qualcomm is indeed already working on a Snapdragon 835 successor, and that it will be named the Snapdragon 845. However, in a document filed by the company with the ITC to support its complaint against Apple, Qualcomm listed the Snapdragon 845 as one of its products.
The document has since been taken down, but we now all know that the Snapdragon 845 is indeed coming.
It was rumored that the Snapdragon 845 will use the 7nm process, which would increase the processor's performance by 25 percent to 35 percent over the Snapdragon 835. However, the 7nm process will not be ready to enter mass production by next year, which has debunked that rumor.
It is still likely that the Snapdragon 845 will make its debut in next year's Galaxy S9, which means that Samsung fans will be the first to experience whatever the upcoming processor will offer to users.
Qualcomm vs Apple Lawsuit
The confirmation of the existence of the Snapdragon 845 is probably the only bright spot in the grueling legal battle between Qualcomm and Apple, with no end to the dispute in sight.
Earlier in the month, Qualcomm pushed a patent infringement lawsuit into Apple's direction, seeking to ban certain iPhone and iPad models from entering the United States from Apple's overseas suppliers. Qualcomm claims that Apple was violating six patents on mobile technology through the devices.
Apple, however, fired back by covering the required legal fees to allow four major iPhone suppliers to file counter claims against Qualcomm. Compal Electronics, Wistron, Pegatron, and Hon Hai Precision Industry, which is more popularly known as Foxconn, alleged that Qualcomm wants to receive licensing fees that are more than normal.
