Galaxy S4 to be 8-core outside US as possible case pics leak
The US variant of the Galaxy S4 will have a mere four cores, according to fresh rumours. Meanwhile, we've been sent purported case snaps.
Phone shoppers in the States will be jilted out of an eight-core-powered Samsung Galaxy S4, if fresh rumours concerning the new mobile are to be believed.
The version of the phone headed to the US will rely on a quad-core Qualcomm processor, while other markets will receive a smart phone powered by Samsung's "octacore" chip, Bloomberg reports, citing "two people familiar with the product".
It's not unusual for smart phones to feature slightly different hardware in various parts of the world, but a different processor entirely would be quite a significant variation -- especially if one chip proved to be much more powerful than the other.
Readers in the US needn't panic necessarily, as current quad-core phones are still more than capable of handling new versions of Android, and demanding apps. The US version of the Galaxy S3 also had a dual-core chip, rather than the quad-core processor seen elsewhere. If there really is a chip difference, we'll likely find out about it tomorrow night, when Samsung takes the wrappers off its newest mobile.
Update: Samsung has confirmed the UK will not receive the eight-core S4. "In the UK," Samsung says, "the Galaxy S4 will be available as a 4G device with a 1.9GHz Quad Core Processor." Read the full story here.
Purported cases?
Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy S4 could have a curved back like the Galaxy S3, if images claiming to show cases for Samsung's new smart phone are to be believed.
The pictures, shown below, were sent to CNET UK by online retailer Mobile Fun, which claims the pictures came from one of its suppliers, although it's "not allowed to say which".
We have absolutely no way of knowing whether these cases are real, or give any indication as to the true design of the Galaxy S4, so take them with a pinch of salt.
What Samsung's teaser image (at the top of this story) has revealed is a mobile that's shaped much like the Galaxy S3, so a similarly curved back plate is certainly not out of the question.
What do you want to see from the Galaxy S4? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.
