There is a lot of confusion around Samsung‘s chip strategy for the Galaxy S25 series. Rumors have hinted at the possibility of a Snapdragon exclusivity, a Snapdragon-Exynos dual-chip strategy, or a three-pronged strategy with MediaTek in the mix. While we wait for the dust to settle, a new rumor has revealed exciting information about the upcoming Samsung flagships. The Galaxy S25, at least the Snapdragon-powered units, will allegedly support FSR/DLSS-like AI upscaling for games.
Snapdragon-powered Galaxy S25 to boast AI upscaling for games
Renowned Chinese tipster Digital Chat Station recently took to Weibo claiming that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 (the chipset expected to power the Galaxy S25 series in some or all markets) will feature an improved Adreno 830 GPU with support for frame interpolation technology. In simpler words, the chip can use AI to boost frame rates in graphic-intense games. It helps make the gameplay smoother as long as developers support the technology in their games.
The tipster says the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 can run Genshin Impact at 1080p resolution and 120fps (frames per second) frame rate. If true, we are in for a massive improvement in frame rate. The Galaxy S24’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 tops out at 60fps in maxed-out Genshin Impact graphics settings. This is huge for a smartphone chip. Frame interpolation is a relatively new technology limited to AMD and Nvidia’s latest PC GPUs. Their solutions are respectively named FSR and DLSS.
The trick is to artificially insert frames between existing frames, making graphics look smoother than they actually are. The technology may occasionally cause input lag and visual artifacts like blurring, but it certainly makes the gameplay smoother. As said earlier, developers must adopt frame interpolation for the feature to work on their games. However, the potential is huge if implemented correctly. We may see AAA PC/console-level games run smoothly on Android flagships.
Well, Apple’s A17 Pro-powered iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max can already run AAA games like Resident Evil Village and Assassin’s Creed: Mirage. So, it’s about time Android chipmakers catch up. And Qualcomm may lead the pack with its next-gen flagship SoC. Of course, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4’s AI upscaling won’t be exclusive to the Galaxy S25 series. Other phones powered by this chipset will also get access to this revolutionary gaming technology.
The new Snapdragon arrives in October, possibly with a higher price tag
Qualcomm will unveil the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 in October. Rumors say the new chip will be up to 30% costlier than its predecessor, costing as much as $260. This may make the next batch of Android flagships more expensive. Interestingly, the source says a firmware update could bring AI upscaling to Android phones powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. That certainly won’t happen before the Gen 4 arrives. Expect more leaks about the next-gen Qualcomm processor in the coming months.
