Apple Turns 50: From Garage Startup to AI Crossroads 
Samsung Electronics Eyes Record Q1 Profit Amid AI-Driven Chip Boom 
SoftwareONE Posts 22.5% Revenue Surge in 2025 on Crayon Acquisition 
OpenAI Executive Shake-Up Ahead of Anticipated 2026 IPO 
SMIC Allegedly Supplies Chipmaking Tools to Iran's Military, U.S. Officials Warn 
Cathay Pacific Holds Firm on Flight Capacity Amid Middle East Conflict and Rising Fuel Costs 
Norma Group Posts Revenue Decline in 2025, Eyes Modest Recovery in 2026 
Nike Beats Q3 Estimates but China Weakness and Margin Pressure Weigh on Outlook 
RBC Capital: European Medtech Firms Show Minimal Middle East and Energy Risk Exposure 
Trump Administration Plans 100% Tariffs on Pharmaceutical Imports 
Microsoft's $10 Billion Japan Investment: AI Infrastructure and Data Sovereignty Push 
Ford Issues Major Recall on Over 422,000 Vehicles Due to Windshield Wiper Defect 
Rubio Directs U.S. Diplomats to Use X and Military Psyops to Counter Foreign Propaganda 
Reflection AI Eyes $25 Billion Valuation in Massive $2.5 Billion Funding Round 
NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo 
Paramount Skydance Secures $24B from Gulf Sovereign Wealth Funds for Warner Bros. Discovery Takeover 
LG Electronics Posts Record Q1 Revenue Amid Strong Demand and Cost Improvements 
A new benchmark ran for a reported variant of the Galaxy S23 Ultra recently appeared online and it seemed to corroborate claims that Samsung will exclusively use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SoC next year. But a well-known leaker said Samsung might use a special version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for its upcoming flagship phones.
The benchmark that tested a device named Samsung SM-S918B was spotted on the Geekbench database recently. And established leaker Ice Universe said details included in the result should be noteworthy, especially to European consumers. It could be one of the early indications that European variants of Galaxy S23 phones will be powered by a Snapdragon chip.
First, it is worth noting that an earlier benchmark for a device identified as SM-S911U, believed to be the regular Galaxy S23, was also spotted last month. The suffix “U” in the model number indicates the unit tested was a U.S. variant with a “Kalama” motherboard. Since all flagship Galaxy phones being shipped to the U.S. have used Snapdragon chips for years, the “Kalama” designation likely pertains to the recently announced Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
As mentioned, the more recent Geekbench test was for the Samsung SM-S918B device reportedly pertaining to the Galaxy S23 Ultra. And the suffix “B” in model numbers of Galaxy phones usually indicates that the unit is to be sold to the European market. Additionally, the benchmark for SM-S918B also shows it used the “Kalama” motherboard at the time of testing. This seems to suggest that Galaxy S23 phones to be shipped to Europe are going to include Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
For years, Samsung users have argued that the performance of Galaxy phones powered by Exynos chips had been inferior to their Snapdragon-powered counterparts. This should then be a welcome development, especially for Samsung fans in Europe. But Ice Universe said the good news does not end there because Samsung will reportedly use an exclusive “high-frequency version” of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for the Galaxy S23 series.
The appearance of these Galaxy S23 benchmark results follows the report of analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said last July, “Qualcomm will likely be the sole processor supplier for Samsung Galaxy S23.” Kuo said Samsung is still expected to ship the Exynos 2300, but it might not be able to deliver a performance on par with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
Samsung’s strategy, whether it includes using Snapdragon chips on all variants of Galaxy S23, should be revealed in a few months. The company is expected to unveil the Galaxy S23 lineup in early 2023.
