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Galaxy S4 rumored to use Snapdragon 600 chip in the U.S., while 4G is confirmed for UK version

Andy Boxall
By

galaxy-s4-mem-1If you’ve been paying attention to the rumors surrounding the Galaxy S4, you could be forgiven for thinking the phone’s specification was a foregone conclusion; however anonymous sources speaking to Bloomberg have raised one possible alteration which hasn’t been discussed much over the past few weeks, although it could be viewed as almost inevitable.

Apparently confirmed by two individuals, “familiar with the matter,” the Galaxy S4 bound for the U.S. will use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 600 processor, while international Galaxy S4 devices will be packing the Exynos 5 Octa chip. This wouldn’t be a surprise, as it follows Samsung’s strategy for the Galaxy S3, which in the U.S. was powered by the dual-core Snapdragon S4 Pro, but in many other markets the quad-core, Samsung produced Exynos 4 Quad could be found inside.

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The reason for this change is well documented, and is to do with the Qualcomm chip having a built-in 4G LTE modem, while the Exynos chip must deal with a separate module, making it a little less energy efficient. However, this doesn’t matter if 4G isn’t an essential feature, as is the situation in many international markets.

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There’s also concern the Eye Scroll feature rumored for inclusion on the Galaxy S4 won’t be ready for its launch, and it may appear in, “Future versions of the phone,” according to Bloomberg’s sources. It’s not clear whether this means the Galaxy S5, or whether Samsung will add it into another Premium Suite-style upgrade in the near future, perhaps along with an update to Android 5.0.

EE to offer 4G Galaxy S4 in the UK

The Galaxy S4 is also having plenty of attention lavished upon it by networks, particularly in the UK, where several of the major networks are already promoting the as-yet unofficial phone on their respective websites. Three UK has its registration page up and running, as does retailer Phones4U, while Vodafone tells its visitors to register and check back after March 15, as, “There’s big news coming from Samsung.” Any concern the U.S. launch of the Galaxy S4 would impact an early UK release date seems unfounded at this stage.

The most tantalizing news comes from EE, as its registration page for the Galaxy S4 promises the new phone will operate on its 4G LTE network. Currently the only operational high speed data network in the UK, EE’s making the most of its monopoly, as the recently completed Ofcom spectrum auctions have paved the way for its competitors to also launch 4G networks, which are expected to come online during the summer.

Samsung will reveal the Galaxy S4 on March 14 in Times Square, New York, and we’ll bring you all the news as it happens.

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Andy Boxall
Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
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