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U.S. Galaxy S24 Ultra units could be powered by a processor using a slower Prime core clock speed

By Alan Friedman

Published: Jan 06, 2024, 3:51 PM

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U.S. Galaxy S24 Ultra units could be powered by a processor using a slower Prime core clock speed

According to a tweet from "X" leaker @TheGalox_alt (via Wccftech), Qualcomm has been planning to release two different versions of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy application processor (AP). This is the chipset that will be powering the Galaxy S24 Ultra in all markets, and the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ in the U.S. and China. But for purposes of this article, we are discussing the use of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy for the Galaxy S24 Ultra only.

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In his tweet, @TheGalox_alt points out the difference between the two variants of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy APs. One has a Cortex-X4 Prime Core running at 3.4GHz while the other has the Cortex-X4 Prime core clocked at 3.3GHz. The version of the Galaxy S24 Ultra being sold in the U.S. and Korea (which are designated by Samsung as markets "U" and "N" respectively) will use the version of the chipset with the Cortex-X4 clocked at 3.30GHz.

Galaxy S24 Ultra units being shipped to region "B" will use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy with the faster Cortex-X4 Prime Core. Unfortunately, we don't know what market "B" represents. We can assume that the chipset with the faster Prime Core will be used on Galaxy S24 Ultra models found in markets outside of the U.S. and China.

There seems to be two models of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy

Model one: 3.4GHz clock speed on the Cortex X4

Model two: 3.3GHz clock speed on the Cortex X4

Both are powering the Galaxy S24 Ultra but in different regions. B is model one, N & U is model two pic.twitter.com/lJhvAimcbA
— Anthony (@TheGalox_alt) January 5, 2024

We should point out that U.S. consumers shouldn't worry about this discrepancy in clock speed since a 100MHz difference shouldn't be something that is easily detected by users. And even if the faster Prime Core clock speed does juice up the phone when playing games, for example, there is always the possibility that thermal issues ensue forcing the device to throttle. And that would get rid of any possible advantage for those sporting the Galaxy S24 Ultra outside of the U.S. and China.

It's not that we expect any thermal issues with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy running on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Samsung has equipped the latter with a vapor chamber; this is a thin pipe inside the phone containing a liquid that absorbs heat, moves it away from the chipset, and turns it into a vapor that travels to the cooler part of the chamber. Once it returns to liquid, the cycle starts over again until the heat is distributed evenly over the chamber.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the rest of the S24 line will be unveiled on January 17th during the first Unpacked event of the year. The event starts at 10 am PST/1 pm EST. We expect pre-orders to start on the same day. You can reserve a Galaxy S24 unit from Samsung and if you buy the device, you will get $50 in Samsung credit.

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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.