Qualcomm's grip on the US smartphone market could be slipping. Google has reportedly opted to use a 5G modem from Samsung in the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro set to debut this fall, and if that's true, it would be the first time the company hasn't turned to Qualcomm for its modems.
Reuters notes that even Samsung uses Qualcomm modems in the US versions of its products, and it doesn't license its 5G modems to other American smartphone makers, which means Google's use of the hardware in the Pixel 6 lineup is unprecedented in more ways than one.
This shift was enabled by Google's decision to design its own chip for the Pixel 6. The new chip, Tensor, was designed specifically to improve the performance of AI-related tasks. But ditching Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors also seems to have given Google more freedom, too.
The news follows an April report from 9to5Google that said Google was planning to use a Samsung modem. Nikkei also said on Aug. 3 that Samsung would manufacture Tensor, so the move makes sense.
Google, Samsung, and Qualcomm all seem to be playing coy about these changes. Google and Samsung only said both of their products support millimeter-wave technology, according to Reuters, and Qualcomm said "A modem is not enough to support millimeter-wave in phones."
That could mean Google still has to use Qualcomm hardware to enable the latest-and-greatest in 5G for the Pixel 6 lineup despite using a Samsung modem.