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When a leaked image suggested that the Samsung Galaxy S3 would launch in Korea with both a quad-core processor and LTE support, we were quick to dismiss the notion, assuming the device would merely support HSPA+ as with other versions. That leak came after a report that an anonymous Samsung rep had hinted that a quad-core/LTE version of phone did in fact exist, and now the device has been confirmed.
The GS3 variant was spotted at a Samsung event in Seoul over the weekend and does differ slightly from other versions of the phone. The phone sports the quad-core Exynos chip developed by Samsung and couples it with a separate LTE module, bringing the thickness of the handset up to 9mm. This edition of the Galaxy S3 will launch a bit later on, with its 3G counterpart already available to the public in Korea.
The news might rub a few North American consumers the wrong way after Samsung opted to release their latest Galaxy phone with a dual-core processor in the States and Canada in order to support LTE and HSPA+ 42 networks without altering elements of the handset’s overall design. It seems unlikely that the Korean LTE version of the device will find its way to other regions.
[via The Verge]
In before all the whinning and crying about why didn’t *insert carrier* get this too….
Lol fail!
for the dual core LTE!
stupid stupid stupid, great phone but doing this will only lead to angry ppl
Yes, but you’re missing the point. Dual core doesn’t necessarily mean worse than quad core, because the core structure on phones is somewhat underdeveloped at the moment. When you compare quad to dual on P.C.s, sure—lightning fast speed to “meh” speed. But on MANY benchmarks, the Qualcomm S4 running the “Krait” build is measures better than any of Samsung, HTC, or ASUS’ quad core builds, and even Tegra 3. To elaborate, here’s a little inequality:
NVidia Tegra 3
In resolution depeding benchmarks YES the krait is faster on 800*480 then a exynos quad on 720p… Offscreen the Exynos wins alle the time.
Only in super pi the krait has a better score! AND THATS ALL!!!
Not sure which benchmarks you have seen but smartbench shows that its the weakest out of every benchmark you have said. Quadrant says its the second best. But we all know quadrant isnt optimised for the latest SOC. In the benchmarks I’ve seen tegra 3 is the weakest quad core while the samsung quad core is a little faster.
You’ll probably thank the US version later for better battery life since the S4 has the LTE modem baked onto the chip as opposed to the Korean version of a quad-core + separate LTE modem.
From the article, “The phone sports the quad-core Exynos chip developed by Samsung and couples it with a separate LTE module…”.
Although faster is always better, in this case I cannot imagine what I would task my AT&T SGS3 with within the next year that would require more processing power than it already has. It runs every app and game flawlessly, to say the interface is smooth like butter is a ridiculous understatement, and the battery life is double or better compared to my SGS2. Samsung mobile is all about stomping on Apple, so if this Korean version of the phone was so much better than the version they released in North America it would have been the global version this year. The SGS3 as it is will suit just fine until next summer when I upgrade again and pass the SGS3 down to one of the kids. Considering the SGS2 is still a better handset than 85% of the smartphones that have come out this year the SGS3 is IMHO a perfect device…for now.
I’d rather have the battery life of the S4. Quad Core is pointless in a phone for me as I don’t ever intend to game on mine anyway.
There is always a way to turn cores off. I’d rather have them and not need them, than need them and not have them.
I can’t argue that if you need the extra cores. Personally, I will never need them on my phone. It will never be an issue for me. Of course, to each his own so if you think you will need the extra cores, then i guess you can feel upset that the U.S. version is “only” getting the S4 which may not perform exactly like the quad core Exynos but it is so close you will never notice it. Heck, my Tegra 2 Xoom runs EVERYTHING flawlessly and I am only on stock cpu speed. The S4 blows it out of the water, so I know it won’t be an issue.
Actually, the S4, Tegra 3, and Samsung quads all will automatically reduce to a single core unless forced otherwise in the kernel. For these newer processors, they will scale up and use cores as needed leaving the others dead. In the vast many normal user cases, not synthetic benchmark weenie cases, the quads will really be only running two cores anyways. That’s baked into the chips unless overriden by a kernel dev.
The threat to battery life is that second chip for the LTE modem, as mentioned by MooseCat.
Its not always about gaming or power or performance. Better multi tasking is one reason to like more cores.
Is Android even capable of using all 4 cores? or are benchmarks the only ones that use 4 cores? There was a similar problem back in 2007 with Windows Vista. It wasn’t capable of utilizing all cores.
But this is frustrating, that we American’s can’t have our cake AND eat it. But South Korean’s do? not fair…..
Stop complaining, the S4 with native LTE support has comparable benchmarks, .5mm less thickness and better battery life all of which are reasonable trade offs.
Somehow I feel the need for a quad-core processor in a phone. I guess it’s because I use it so often (not necessarily for extended periods) that any slight lag is completely annoying and harder on my already deteriorating hands and wrists. Dual-core is plenty, but I appreciate extreme snappiness and flawless performance. That, or I have had too many fatass phones.
I would trade so many bags of rice for one of these.