First Snapdragon 823 smartphone could be right around the corner

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 is currently the cream of the smartphone-processor crop, powering phones like the Samsung Galaxy S7, HTC 10, and LG G5. But while it's the chip driving some of the most in-demand handsets this season, it's not going to be on top forever, and we're already looking forward to what's coming up next: chips like the Snapdragon 825, 828, and 830. Before those get here, though, we're expecting to see devices built around the Snapdragon 823, a chip very similar to the 820 but running just a bit faster. Today we're picking up on a rumor that claims the very first phone featuring the Snapdragon 823 could be just about to launch, and may make its debut before the month is out.

Supposedly, LeEco has an 823-based phone lined up to launch at MWC Shanghai in three weeks. We haven't heard any other details about this handset, only that it would run this top-of-the-line processor.

LeEco's a brand that's been becoming of greater interest to smartphone users in the West recently, as we've seen the company set up a new office in Silicon Valley.

While this LeEco phone could be a contender for first-announced Snapdragon 823 phone, other companies are on our radar with possible 823-powered models of their own, and we recently heard that a variant of the just-launched Asus ZenFone 3 Deluxe could also be in the works with a Snapdragon 823 under its hood.

We're not expecting the Snapdragon 823 to blow the 820 out of the water (so don't worry that your shiny new flagship is suddenly about to become outdated), but even as an incremental upgrade over its predecessor, we're very curious to give its capabilities a try for ourselves. With a little luck, we could have that chance within the next few months.

source: GizmoChina via Pocketnow