14 DAY TRIAL // Some of you probably know by now that HTC's new U Ultra flagship won't pack Qualcomm's newest Snapdragon 835 chipset inside. Instead, the Taiwanese handset maker has decided to include the current generation Snapdragon 821 processor inside.
Although many have questioned HTC's decision to launch a flagship that comes with last year's technology, it appears that the handset maker did not have a choice in the matter.
The same goes for LG, as the G6 is rumored to come equipped with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 CPU, which isn't a bad chipset at all. This particular processor already powers other flagships like the OnePlus 3T and the LeEco Le Pro3, but other than that, there aren't too many phones that pack it inside.
The reason HTC U Ultra and LG G6, as well as other flagship smartphones that will be launched in the first half of the year, won't include Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 processor inside is … Samsung Galaxy S8.
Apparently, Samsung has first dibs on the Snapdragon 835, which means the chipset won't be widely available until after the Galaxy S8 launches in April, Forbes reports.
Samsung claims exclusivity over the Snapdragon 835 chip
It sounds like some kind of exclusivity that Qualcomm has agreed to since Samsung is helping the chip maker build the Snapdragon 835 processor.
Since the Galaxy S8 will be launched in South Korea on April 14, companies like HTC, LG, Xiaomi and possibly others would have to delay the launch of their flagships until after that date if they hope to include the Snapdragon 835 CPU inside their products.
Even though LG doesn't see the fact that it can't equip its flagship with the latest mobile chipset as a setback, customers will be the ones to decide which smartphone to purchase in the end.
LG is not concerned by the fact that it will not be able to pack the latest generation Qualcomm chipset inside its G6 flagship, and this won't be the first time something like this happens. The company launched the G4 with Snapdragon 808 under the hood because the 810 model had overheating issues.
Sources familiar with LG's plans claim the South Korean company will probably focus the marketing campaign for the G6 on the fact that it will come with Google's Assistant, or some other digital AI.