Traditionally, Samsung’s flagship phones have been powered by its own Exynos chipsets everywhere except the U.S. and a couple of other countries; in those markets, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SoC’s were found under the hood. The lone exception over the last few years happened back in 2015; that year, concerns about the Snapdragon 810 SoC overheating,
led Samsung to power all Galaxy S6 units with the Exynos 7420 chipset. This year, the
Galaxy S20 series is equipped with the Snapdragon 865 Mobile Platform in all markets except for Europe where the Exynos 990 SoC is employed.
Mystery Samsung “Project Zodiac” device discovered in hidden code
Back last month after Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S20 series, the company released the kernel source code for both the Snapdragon and Exynos powered versions of its new flagship models.
XDA went through this code and found references to certain upcoming Samsung devices including the Galaxy Note 20 and the
Galaxy Fold 2, both powered by the Snapdragon 865 Mobile Platform. It also discovered that the code mentioned an unknown device called the “Zodiac” project.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is powered by the Snapdragon 855+ Mobile Platform
Considering that the Galaxy S20 series already uses the Snapdragon 865 chip everywhere but Europe, it would make sense for Sammy to continue that practice for the Galaxy Note 20 line as well. And since the original Galaxy Fold features the Snapdragon 855 under the hood, the sequel is probably best served by having it powered by the sequel to that chipset. XDA was able to deduce that these models will be using Qualcomm’s 2020 7nm flagship chipset by spotting the component’s Kona code name in the kernel source code.
Kernel source code reveals that the Galaxy Note 20 (top) and Galaxy Fold 2 (bottom) will use the Snapdragon 865 Mobile Platform
Speaking of the Galaxy Fold 2, we expect it to fold inward like the OG model but open up to reveal a screen larger than the 7.3-inches found on the original model. In addition, Samsung is expected to use the same ultra-thin glass (UTG) employed on the
Galaxy Z Flip. This means that the sequel to the Galaxy Fold will have a screen covered with a protective film similar to the one that influencers peeled off the OG model despite warnings from the manufacturer. That action forced Samsung to delay the launch of the Galaxy Fold by five months while it redesigned the product. Samsung ended up tucking the edges of the film underneath the bezels of the Galaxy Fold so that it can’t be peeled off, We could see something similar on the sequel. Something that many Galaxy Fold owners wanted for the original model is said to be coming to the sequel. The Galaxy Fold 2 should come out of the box with an S Pen.
XDA also spotted something called “Project Zodiac” in the kernel source code for the
Galaxy Z Flip. So far, the information revealed in this code indicates that “Project Zodiac” will be available only in China. With the similarity between the use of the letter “Z” in Galaxy Z Flip and “Project Zodiac,” the latter could very well be another foldable phone in the style of the Galaxy Z Flip. Unlike the Galaxy Fold, which turns from a smartphone into a tablet, the Galaxy Z Flip hides away in a pocket until a phone is needed. At that point, the device is flipped open along the horizontal axis to become a 6.7-inch smartphone.
All of these predictions and forecasts don’t mention a date when we can expect the new devices to be introduced. That is the nature of the information leaked. And even if there were dates mentioned, they might not be accurate because of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on the supply chain and device production. If we had to wager a guess, we’d say that both the Galaxy Fold 2 and the Galaxy Note 20 could be unveiled in July and released in August.
