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Samsung Galaxy S III shipping with quad-core Exynos chip?

That's the claim made by a Samsung executive speaking recently to the Korea Times. The device may also come with 4G LTE service.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
Don Reisinger
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Samsung's Galaxy S III hasn't been unveiled just yet, but that doesn't mean the rumors surrounding the device will stop.

The Korea Times reported yesterday that it recently sat down with an unidentified Samsung executive who told the publication that the Galaxy S III will ship with the company's quad-core Exynos chip. The move, if true, could be a major blow to Qualcomm's mobile chips division, which has been providing processors to Samsung for quite some time.

Samsung's Exynos chip has been celebrated by the company as a top-notch offering in the mobile arena. However, so far, Samsung has been pushing its dual-core option, which is available in the Galaxy Note and Galaxy S II, among others. The quad-core chip the executive says will come in the Galaxy S III will also boast LTE and W-CDMA support, according to the Korea Times.

Rumors continue to swirl over when Samsung might finally launch its Galaxy S III. The device was expected to be announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month, but that never happened. Earlier this month, ZDNet Korea cited sources who said the launch will occur in April as part of an ad campaign surrounding the 2012 Olympics in London.

Just yesterday, however, that tune changed when purported images of the Galaxy S III popped up on Reddit. Based on those images, it was believed the device would launch on May 22--the same day Samsung is holding its "Unpacked" event in London.

For its part, Samsung has stayed mum on the eventual launch of the Galaxy S III, deciding instead to focus its public discussions on currently available products.

Last month, the Boy Genius Report went a step further, citing sources who said that the device would come with a 4.8-inch "full HD" display and support Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Interestingly, the blog also said that the device would come with a 1.5GHz quad-core Samsung Exynos processor--the same option the executive said would be coming to the device.

Samsung did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment.