Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Phones
  3. Mobile
  4. News

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Samsung is working on a new Exynos 1280 chipset for budget phones

Add as a preferred source on Google

Despite Qualcomm’s dominance over the mobile chipset segment in recent years, Samsung has been persistent at pushing its Exynos lineup of processors in its phones. The South Korean manufacturer equips most of its phones with its series of homegrown chipsets, and if a new leak is to be believed, Samsung is developing a new Exynos chipset for entry-level phones. This leak comes on the back of rumors that Samsung wants a majority of its 2022 devices to run on Exynos processors. 

The name of the new processor is believed to be the Exynos 1280 mobile chipset. Now, there’s a lot we don’t know about this mysterious processor, but the leak has revealed that the Exynos 1280 is a step down from the Exynos 1080. Samsung unveiled the Exynos 1080 late last year, and it is by no means a slouch. In fact, it’s a powerful midrange chip used in Vivo’s X60 series of flagship phones. Given all this, it is a bit puzzling to understand what the tipster means by “entry-level” phones. Moreover, it is also possible that the Exynos 1280 debuts on a non-Samsung phone, similar to the Exynos 1080. 

Recommended Videos

Since this rumored Exynos chip looks like a part of the Exynos 1080 line, it is likely that it will adopt some specifications from it. We assume that it’ll be built upon the 5nm process and also come equipped with 5G. The Exynos 1080 uses a cluster of four Cortex-A78 CPU cores and four Cortex-A55 CPU cores. From what the leak says, it could be that the new Exynos 1280 has the same lower-clocked cores. The Exynos 1080 also comes with support for 200MP cameras and QHD+ displays. We can expect at least some of these features on the Exynos 1280. However, these are all presumptions for now.

Samsung has also joined with AMD to offer cutting-edge RDNA2 graphics on mobile devices for the first time. The first phone to feature the capability is expected to be the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S22.

Abdul Q
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Abdul can be tagged as a true blue smartphone enthusiast. As part of his professional career, he has contributed to a number…
Leaked iPhone 18 Pro motherboard hints at Apple’s next cooling upgrade
A new motherboard image claims Apple is redesigning the A20 Pro's packaging for better thermal performance.
iPhone 18 Pro cameras

A fresh iPhone 18 Pro leak is making the rounds online, and it comes with some pretty bold claims. According to leaker Reptalicant, the alleged motherboard for Apple's upcoming flagship reveals a redesigned A20 Pro chip package with improved cooling, a beefier Neural Engine, and faster memory. That's a lot to unpack, especially considering motherboard-level Apple leaks like this are exceptionally rare.

The leak claims better thermals, faster memory, and a stronger NPU

Read more
Finding Android apps on the Google Play Store just got a lot easier thanks to Gemini
Google's AI assistant now works directly with the Play Store to recommend and install apps.
Google Play Store Photo

Google is making Gemini even more useful on Android. Google first previewed the Google Play connected app for Gemini at Google I/O 2026, and it's now finally rolling out to users. The new integration brings the Play Store directly into Gemini, letting the AI assistant help discover apps, make purchases, and complete more tasks without leaving the chat.

Gemini can now do more than recommend apps

Read more
It looks like Apple will treat you to a $200 price hike on the iPhone 18 Pro, after all
The Mac price hike told us a lot about what's coming for the iPhone 18 Pro, and IDC is now putting a number on it.
iPhone 17 Pro

Apple's Mac and iPad prices went up this week, by a good margin, no less, and the memory crisis behind them isn't going anywhere anytime soon. 

The obvious next question is what happens to the iPhone 18 Pro, which is expected to arrive later this year. IDC has an answer, and you might not like it (via MacRumors).

Read more