Samsung Galaxy S22 FE and Galaxy S23 probably won’t use a weird rumored chipset

Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus
A Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus (Image credit: Future)

Not long ago we heard that Samsung might do something surprising with its next wave of flagships, with a report suggesting the company would switch to MediaTek chipsets for the Samsung Galaxy S22 FE and the Samsung Galaxy S23 range. But that always seemed odd – and it now seems increasingly unlikely.

That’s because leaker @chunvn8888 – who has a reasonable track record – has posted on Twitter claiming that a MediaTek Dimensity 9000-powered Samsung Galaxy S22 FE is not happening “for now.”

Another reputable leaker (Yogesh Brar) then replied, saying “it is not happening in the future as well.”

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Now, there’s a little to unpack here. First off, Samsung not using the Dimensity 9000 doesn’t necessarily mean a different MediaTek chipset wouldn’t be used; however, the Dimensity 9000 would be the obvious choice for the Galaxy S22 FE if Samsung was going with MediaTek, since it’s the company’s top chipset.

This also doesn’t rule out a MediaTek chipset appearing in the Galaxy S23, but we’ve only heard one source (Business Korea) discuss the possibility of MediaTek chipsets, and if they’re wrong about there being one in the Galaxy S22 FE, there’s a high chance they’d be wrong about the Samsung Galaxy S23 as well.

At a stretch, you could also interpret Brar’s response as meaning no future Samsung flagships will use a MediaTek chipset, which would therefore rule out the Galaxy S23.


Analysis: will Samsung switch to MediaTek?

At the moment we have one source suggesting that a move to MediaTek is coming, and two others suggesting that it isn’t (at least for the Galaxy S22 FE), so on that basis it seems more likely that Samsung will stick with the Exynos and Snapdragon chipset ranges it currently uses.

Not many sources have weighed in yet so we can’t be sure of that, but Samsung moving to MediaTek always seemed a bit odd.

These chipsets are potentially cheaper than the ones Samsung currently uses, but they lack the prestige of Snapdragon and Exynos chipsets, so while they might just about make sense for use in the not-quite-flagship S22 FE, they would be an odd fit for the Galaxy S23 range.

If Samsung does offer MediaTek chipsets, then according to the earlier reports referenced above it won’t do so everywhere; it would simply add them to the mix, with some regions getting a Snapdragon or Exynos chipset instead. But that would make Samsung’s already confusing dual-chipset strategy even more muddled, which doesn’t do reviewers and buyers any favors.

So until we see a few more reputable sources suggesting that MediaTek processors are on the cards for Samsung, we’d bet against it.

Via Phone Arena

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.