Report Suggests Samsung Will Use Intel Processors In Next Galaxy Tab

Although Samsung’s Galaxy Tab devices are generally very fine products, the sheer number of SKUs in the line make individual Tabs less interesting. However, there’s a rumor that the upcoming Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 will be packing an Intel chip instead of a homegrown Samsung Exynos or other mobile processor.

According to Android Authority, a GLBenchmark test shows that model GT-P5210 (believed to be the model number for the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1) has an Intel Clovertrail chip inside, which the site says is the 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z2560. Judging from the information, the Intel processor would be present in both the WiFi-only and 3G versions of the tablet.

GLBenchmark
Image credit: Android Authority

Other specifications apparently include a 10.1-inch (1280x800) display, Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean), Hyper-Threading on the processor, and a PowerVR SGX 544 MP2 (400MHz) GPU.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1
Intel has not done especially well in the mobile market (including passing on the iPhone way back when), so finding a way into Samsung’s popular Tab devices is a big win. Presumably, if the device performs well and sells a reasonable amount of units, we could see more of Intel in the mobile space.

Of course, that’s assuming that the final retail version of the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 will actually have Intel inside; there’s no confirmation either way that these results are for anything more than test units that never see the light of day.