This is interesting. Most folks assume the LG G6 specs will be in flagship land including the processor. A new report suggests that component may be underwhelming this year, and it’s all due to Samsung’s love for a certain SoC.

Just yesterday we may have gotten our first real glimpse of the LG G6 design courtesy of a new leak. While the photo only showed half the handset and just the front, it still appears they are going to drastically switch things up in the design department this year. We assumed the LG G6 specs would include the Snapdragon 835. It is the chip of choice for many flagships heading into 2017. Apparently, that may not be the case after all…

Forbes is reporting that the LG G6 will have to use the Snapdragon 821 this year. The reason is said to be the fact that Samsung has essentially hogged all the Snapdragon 835 processors for the launch of the Galaxy S8. That means a new round of chips won’t be available until April according to insiders, so LG and U Ultra won’t have that processor. That also makes the choice of the Samsung Galaxy S8 release date all the more interesting as the company had to see this one coming.

Normally, this is the part where we would tell you to get your salt-shaker ready, but not this time around. We thought it was bizarre the U didn’t have the SD835, and now everything makes a little more sense. That said, companies know what they are doing well ahead of time (or they should), so Sammy really has a stranglehold on those processors or the companies simply didn’t deem that an area they were concerned about.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 release date is expected to “launch” in South Korea on April 14th according to Forbes. We know the LG G6 will be shown off well ahead of that date, so we’ll know how this one will pan out very soon. If true, you can expect to see handsets powered by the Snapdragon 835 arrive from LG and HTC later this year or possibly in variant form. As for the LG G6 specs, having an older chip won’t kill the handset, but it certainly won’t help them either.

Forbes