Samsung is said to make a monumental change to its Galaxy Tab S10 as far as the chipset selection goes because the ‘middle of the pack’ Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is said to be outfitted with MediaTek’s Dimensity 9300+ instead of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This would be the first time the Korean giant would employ the Taiwanese fabless semiconductor manufacturer’s SoC in its premium tablet lineup, but what caused the company to make such a decision? According to one report, the ‘butterfly effect’ of rising Qualcomm chipset prices would be one of them.
Dimensity 9300+ likely costs less than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, forcing Samsung to switch to the Taiwanese firm’s silicon for the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus
An earlier estimate revealed that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 costs $200, which does not make it an attractive bid for Samsung to use the silicon in the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus. A report from Chosun now states that the firm’s decision to shift to the Dimensity 9300+ was due to a butterfly effect caused by Qualcomm’s rising chipset prices. However, what is interesting to note here is that Samsung did not resort to its own Exynos 2400 and decided to partner with MediaTek.
According to an unnamed industry insider, MediaTek presented a better deal for Samsung. To be fair, using the Dimensity 9300+ for the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is one of the smartest decisions, because the chipset is no slouch in the performance and efficiency department as it is mass produced on TSMC’s 4nm process. Additionally, the SoC supports the latest technologies, such as LPDDR5T RAM, and the ability to run on-device AI with 1B, 7B, and 13B parameters, with scalability up to 33B.
In a separate report, we highlighted that in Q1 2024, MediaTek held first place in smartphone chipset shipments with an estimated 114 million units. However, the company made less revenue compared to Qualcomm during the same period, even with the latter shipping fewer chipset units than its rival in Q1 2024. These statistics highlight that MediaTek has the flexibility to offer attractive prices for its SoCs, including the Dimensity 9300+, giving it an edge against the competition and adding lucrative clients like Samsung to its portfolio.
If the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, which is slated to launch later this year, is too expensive for Samsung’s liking, perhaps we could see the Dimensity 9400 being adopted in more Galaxy Tab S11 variants in the future.
News Source: Chosun
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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