Samsung presented Exynos Modem 5300, its new 5G cellular modem that we will likely see aboard Google’s Pixel 8 and 8 Pro towards the end of this summer. The big news is the transition to a latest generation production process: from the 7 nm of the 5123 seen aboard last year’s Exynos 2100, we move to 4 nm, which should guarantee a significant increase in energy efficiency. Naturally, the foundry chosen for the construction is that of Samsung itself, with its EUV technology.
The chip offers speeds of downloads up to 10Gbps and ultra-low latency with support for FR1, FR2 and EN-DC technologies. In upload, the declared peak speed is instead 3.87 Gbps. The chip is compatible with both Sub-6 and mmWave standards, and is capable of operating in SA (Stand-Alone) and NSA modes. It is based on Release 16 of 3gPP 5G NR. The modem also incorporates an LTE radio with download speeds of up to 3 Gbps and upload speeds of up to 422 Mbps.
It is interesting to note that many of the specifications coincide, at least on paper, with those of the latest arrival at Qualcomm, the Snapdragon X70 already presented in 2022; however, Samsung did not mention whether the competitor chip supports the Dual SIM Dual Active feature.
Generally, Exynos modems are coupled to the top-of-the-range chip of the same name, which however Samsung did not present this year, preferring a 100% Snapdragon solution on its Galaxy S23 flagship smartphones. However, it seems that an Exynos 2300 actually exists, somehow; it is possible that Samsung has produced some units to provide Google with a basis on which to develop its own third-generation Tensor chip.
