⚔️ Happy Friday, everyone! I’ve recently reconnected with the classic 90s strategy game Heroes of Might & Magic III. It’s incredible how well the game has aged more than two decades after release. Just make sure you get the GOG version and not the HD remaster on Steam.

The future of Samsung’s Exynos processors in question

Rumors have been circling since back in May that Samsung will drop its in-house Exynos processors in the Galaxy S23 and S24 lineups, which were then backed up by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo earlier this month. Now it seems we know what’s in store for the new devices and the future of Exynos.

• Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon stated that Snapdragon silicon will power “more Samsung premium devices globally” in a press statement this week.
• Amon specifically mentioned the Galaxy S23 series as part of the deal.
• This implies the S23 will use Snapdragon processors in all marketplaces, although Qualcomm does stop just short of saying so.
• Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 variants of the Galaxy S22 accounted for about 75% of shipments versus the Exynos 2200 variant.
• Most key markets like the US and Samsung’s home turf of South Korea have already switched, with only Europe remaining on the Exynos train.
• Amon says the share of future Galaxy flagships running Snapdragon chips will be even greater than the 75% share it saw on the S22 series.
• So presumably, the last Exynos stronghold of Europe will switch to Snapdragon power.
• This is part of a seven-year licensing agreement between the two companies, and could see the Snapdragon platform used in Samsung PCs, tablets, extended reality, and more.

What about Exynos?

• It seems that, at the very least, Exynos will live on.
• Perhaps in response to Qualcomm’s news and previous rumors, Samsung stated during its Q2 2022 conference call that “it is not true at all” that it will discontinue its Exynos business.
• That said, the statement also suggests that Samsung is overhauling the division to keep up with Qualcomm and Apple on the silicon front.
• Samsung also mentioned longer-term plans and starting early development of new chipsets.
• This adds some credence to rumors of a big new Exynos project slated for 2025, but only time will tell.

A worthy switch

• For most users, the switch to an all-Snapdragon release is mostly good news.
• This is especially true for those of us in Europe, although there are obvious benefits to a globally unified platform.
• Exynos processors have routinely underperformed when compared to Snapdragon alternatives, especially when it comes to the GPU.
• However, switching to a single chipset could lead to disaster if the global chip shortage continues, leaving Samsung with no alternatives to lean on.
• To read more about the pros and cons of the switch, check out this excellent piece by my colleague Hadlee.

Roundup

📱 ASUS Zenfone 9 review: Small in stature, big on personality (Android Authority).

🤔 Are the Google Pixel Buds Pro good enough to be Android’s AirPods Pro killer? Find out in our review (Android Authority).

⌚ Our readers vary wildly when it comes to the best time to charge wearables, although the majority simply wait until the last minute (Android Authority).

🤳 Instagram has rolled back its plans for a TikTok-style feed, and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri explains why (The Verge).

🏛️ And in case you thought the jury was still out, yes, social media really is undermining democracy (The Atlantic).

💻 As Intel pushes further into the discreet GPU market, it’s also starting to scale back support for integrated GPUs (Arstechnica).

💲 The US Senate approved $280 billion to boost domestic chip production and research to take on China for the future of semiconductors (9to5Mac).

🐙 OctaGlove brings the underwater gripping power of the octopus to humans. It still only has five fingers though, despite the name (Arstechnica).

🍿 Get ready for the weekend with the best new streaming movies this week on Netflix, Paramount Plus, and more (Android Authority).

💀 What if you found the Death Note? My favorite response: “I’ll take a potato chip and eat it” (r/askreddit).

Friday fun

Yesterday Blizzard was once again hit with another strike, although this time by competitive Overwatch players. In what was essentially a semi-finals match, a miscommunication led both teams to believe it was a best of seven instead of a best of five, as stated in the official rules.

One team got to an early 3:0 lead, but the other team mounted a comeback to bring it to 3:2. At this point, officials halted the match, giving it to the first team to reach three wins. No one was happy about this decision, and both teams went on strike for the next game. Instead of playing for objectives, players instead went for silly 1v1s.

The casters make the best of the situation, hyping up two Torbs smashing their hammers into one another while the rest of their teams watch. Check out the legendary moment on YouTube here.

In the end, the teams will resume the match from 3:2 later today. Will we see another Torb 1v1? We can only hope so.

In the mood for some competitive shooter action this weekend? Our pick of the best free FPS games on any platform includes classics like PUBG Mobile and Warframe.

Have a smashing weekend,

Nick Fernandez, Editor.