Samsung looks set to shake up its next budget phone by dropping Exynos chips altogether, as a new report claims both versions of the upcoming Galaxy A18 will use processors from rival manufacturers.
According to ZDNet Korea, the Galaxy A18 4G will be powered by a MediaTek chipset, while the Galaxy A18 5G will switch to Qualcomm silicon. The report doesn’t specify which chips Samsung has chosen. However, it says neither model will use an in-house Exynos processor.
That’s a departure from the Galaxy A17 range, where Samsung split the lineup between MediaTek and Exynos. The 4G model shipped with the Helio G99, while the 5G version used Samsung’s own Exynos 1330 chip.
The reported switch is thought to come down to cost as both Qualcomm and MediaTek have become increasingly competitive in the budget smartphone market. Using third-party chips could help Samsung keep prices down while remaining competitive against rivals in the entry-level segment.
The report also suggests Samsung won’t launch both phones at the same time. Instead, the company will release the Galaxy A18 4G first, with the 5G version following several months later.
Mass production of the Galaxy A18 4G is likely to begin in August. Samsung is reportedly planning an initial run of 100,000 units that month. Then, production will be significantly ramped up to 2.4 million units in September and another 2.5 million in October. As always, those figures could still change depending on market demand.
Production of the Galaxy A18 5G, meanwhile, will reportedly begin once Qualcomm is ready to supply the required chips. This may explain the staggered release schedule.
Samsung hasn’t officially announced the Galaxy A18 yet, so there’s still plenty we don’t know about the phone. However, the 4G model has already surfaced on Samsung’s firmware servers carrying the model number SM-A185F. This suggests development is well underway.
If the report proves accurate, the Galaxy A18 could end up being one of Samsung’s more interesting budget releases, not because of a major redesign. Instead, it’s the first in the series to move away from Exynos across both its 4G and 5G variants.
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