Samsung Reportedly Working On A Powerful Gaming Phone With Custom GPU
Razer may have popularized the idea of an Android phone built primarily for gaming with features to match (such as a fast 120Hz display), but it is no longer the only one cranking these kinds of handsets out. A few others have joined in the fun. More companies will be jumping on the bandwagon too, including Samsung, if the rumor mill is to be believed.
We have already heard that Samsung is supposedly developing a gaming phone under its Galaxy brand, one that will join the likes of the Razer Phone (now in its second generation), ASUS ROG Gaming Phone, Nubia Gaming Phone, and Xiaomi Blackshark. Samsung will be entering what is starting to become a crowded field.
What's new, however, is a rumor suggesting Samsung could lean on its own custom mobile GPU. It's certainly plausible—Samsung is a major semiconductor player and designs its own Exynos processors for use in international variants of its Galaxy devices (versions shipped in the US typically run on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors).
The rumor right now is little more than a post on Weibo, albeit from Ice Universe, a prominent leaker that is plugged in to these kinds of things. However, it's not out of left field. It was reported in July that Samsung was wrapping up development on an all-new GPU designed in-house, called SGPU. It was said that Dr. Chien-Ping Lu, known as CPU, was brought in by Samsung to help put the finishing touches on its custom GPU.
"Put it on par with Apple. The only question is where and when Samsung’s GPU will show up," Jon Peddie Peddie Research told EETimes in July. "This design is so good they could deploy it in every platform—it’s a function of their ambition. If I owned it, it would be in everything including cockpits and supercomputers."
While Samsung may have bigger ambitions for its SGPU, the first stop is likely to be its Exynos platform, and that's where a gaming phone makes perfect sense.
