Samsung Galaxy S21 passes through FCC, Snapdragon 888 in tow

The leaks are coming so thick and fast about the Samsung Galaxy S21 devices that we're suddenly learning a lot about what these phones will offer.

The latest document to appear is the result of FCC testing, which goes some way to confirm that the Snapdragon 888 - recently announced by Qualcomm - will be powering at least some models of the Galaxy S21.

Samsung has historically split its devices between markets, with some getting the Snapdragon version and others getting an Exynos version. Rumours so far suggest that the Exynos 2100 will power the Galaxy S21 models in Europe and some other regions, while Qualcomm will be inside the models in the US and Korea.

Importantly, FCC listing takes the Snapdragon 888 from rumour to a more concrete fact, not that we doubted that Samsung would choose this hardware for its next-gen smartphone devices.

But the timing is also important, because these sorts of documents only normally surface as a device is nearing launch. Rumours have suggested that Samsung is going to be announcing the new Galaxy S21 family on 14 January.

That's about a month earlier than in previous years and it's not currently clear why Samsung wants to make this move sooner. Typically, Samsung launches just before the Mobile World Congress trade show, which is normally held in February. The show has been pushed back to June 2021, so perhaps Samsung now sees no need to try and schedule the launch near to a huge international smartphone event.

Samsung might be trying to steal a lead on its competitors by getting into the market earlier in the cycle, perhaps to make space for the predicted update to its folding devices predicted for later in the year.

Whatever the motivation, there's currently no confirmation of any Galaxy Unpacked event, but the weight of information and frequency of leaks suggest that we'll soon be seeing something official.

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