Samsung giving Qualcomm another chance for Galaxy S6 Plus?

New details of Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Plus, a phablety version of its flagship Galaxy S6 phone, have emerged online. Interestingly, they suggest that Samsung has decided to give Qualcomm a second chance rather than using its own Exynos chip, as it did with the Galaxy S6.

According to ‘net-based tipster @onleaks, Samsung will turn to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 808 to power the new Galaxy S6 Plus, despite choosing not to use the Snapdragon 810 for the Galaxy S6 – a move reportedly motivated by the chip’s well-documented overheating issues.

The Snapdragon 808, while a very capable processor (as the LG G4 has shown), is not on a par with Samsung’s own Exynos 7420, which powers the standard Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. Over short bursts the 808 also noticeably lags behind its bigger, hotter brother, due to its two fewer processor cores.

Quite why Samsung has opted to use the older chip for its next phablet is likely a matter of convenience, given the huge endeavour involved in churning out both the S6 and S6 Edge en masse with proprietary SoC’s. It may turn out that the S6 Plus is also more cut-price than its premium brethren, so the choice of chip will help to trim costs.

If these reports do indeed turn out to be accurate, the news will likely serve as a much-needed shot in the arm for an increasingly embattled Qualcomm, as it looks to regain faith following the consistent issues which have blighted the 810. Of course, those overheating woes have apparently been fixed for the latest version of the 810, which is set to appear in the new OnePlus handset soon.

The leak also claims that the Galaxy S6 Plus will launch with a 5.5-inch display, adding fuel to speculation that the device will effectively be a re-brand of Samsung’s highly successful Galaxy Note line. However, we expect this phablet to be separate from the Note, with no attached stylus and less emphasis on business and creativity.

We’ll likely know more in the third quarter, as gossip-mongers have tipped the device for a full official launch some time around late July.