Although the Samsung Galaxy S23 series is still likely nine months away from being launched, we've already heard a (very) early report which suggests there might be trouble brewing in paradise.
A Korean site called Business Post has written a report detailing delays in the mass production of Samsung's 3nm chipset, which suggests the company is struggling to make enough of this new, super-small chip.
The reason for the delays, and issues with creating enough chips, hasn't been made clear. However, lots of regions in Asia are still suffering from Covid-19 lockdowns, which could have an impact.
Samsung makes Exynos chipsets, which it uses in some of its own phones and also sells to other brands like Vivo. For the Galaxy S22 series, phones sold in Europe or Asia got Exynos chips while those for buyers in the US got ones made by Qualcomm.
Business Post doesn't mention the Galaxy S23 series by name but does suggest that 2023 is the year when we'll likely see Apple use 3nm chipsets for iPhones too. However, the Galaxy S23 phones will likely launch about nine months before the iPhones, giving Apple enough time to build up a supply of components.
Analysis: some alternatives
If Samsung is struggling to make enough of its next Exynos chipset, it could lead to the Galaxy S23 series being hard to buy in certain regions, including Europe.
We saw this for lots of tech during the silicon shortage in 2020 and 2021, when people were waiting for ages to buy new iPads or smartphones.
That's not to say this is set in stone, though, as Samsung might attempt to find an alternative measure to ensure there are enough Galaxy S23 units on store shelves.
An obvious choice is to change the chipset divide for the phones, something fans have been asking for, as Exynos processors generally aren't as powerful as the Qualcomm-built Snapdragon ones used in the US.
Perhaps Samsung could use Snapdragon chips in more of its next S-series phones, or at least employ some of the manufacturers making them to create more Exynos chips.
It's also worth pointing out that we can't be sure that this upcoming 3nm chipset is destined for the Galaxy S23 series at all - Samsung may be keeping it for the Galaxy S24 series in 2024.
We'll have to see what happens, but we're still a long way out, so a lot could change.
