Samsung launching Galaxy S II with Tegra 2 in some regions?
updated 09:00 pm EST, Thu February 17, 2011
Tegra 2 said to be close match to Samsung's SoC
Samsung may be preparing to launch a Tegra 2-based version of the upcoming Galaxy S II smartphone, which could arrive in select markets. The company admitted to collaboration with NVIDIA to create a new handset based on Tegra 2, but the Galaxy S II served as the primary focus of its Mobile World Congress handset unveilings.
Samsung has yet to explicitly tie the Galaxy S II to the Tegra 2 platform, as the MWC version utilizes the company's own dual-core Exynos SoC, but AnandTech notes that the official specs lists the Samsung SoC as a feature that "may not be applicable in some regions." Benchmark tests show the Exynos chipset performing closely behind Tegra 2, but both are said to be relatively equivalent.
If the reports are accurate, it would not be the first time Samsung has released slightly different component builds in different markets. The first-generation Galaxy S and Nexus S handsets both sold with AMOLED in some countries, while other markets were downgraded to an LCD version of the same phones.
The Exynos-based Galaxy S II carries the model nubmer GT-I9100, while the GT-I9103 is believed to represent the Tegra 2 edition. Samsung has yet to confirm the reports or announce which markets may receive the Tegra 2 build.
