The chipset expected to be in Samsung's Galaxy S30 will probably be in all Android flagship models in 2021, which could lead to even more expensive phones next year.

According to Twitter leaker Sleepy Kuma (via Max Weinbach), Qualcomm's Snapdragon 875 has increased in price by over 60% compared to this year's Snapdragon 865 chip. Sleepy Kuma is a member of Korean site Clién, referring to a post on the site's forum and specifically mentioning Xiaomi in a tweet. However, since Qualcomm supplies chips to Samsung, OnePlus, Motorola, Google, and many other major smartphone makers, this change could affect a large portion of the smartphone market.

Qualcomm likely can afford to make such a change. Qualcomm has a near monopoly on the chipset market, with only Apple, Samsung, and Huawei providing chips that could be considered rivals.

Also, since these three companies manufacture A-series, Exynos, and Kirin components exclusively for their products, Qualcomm has significant leverage over most manufacturers, which can translate into higher prices. Certainly, the Snapdragon 875 will be better than the Snapdragon 865, but given Qualcomm's incremental approach to improvement, this rumored price increase seems to demand a lot.

While U.S. users are familiar with Samsung's flagships that use the Snapdragon chip, most Samsung phones sold worldwide are powered by the company's proprietary Exynos 990 chip. This chip is slightly less powerful than the 865, but still very capable.

Unfortunately, Samsung cannot completely stop using Snapdragon silicon and use Exynos. Due to its contract with Qualcomm, it must continue to use Snapdragon chips in its U.S. and Chinese models. Samsung will probably use the Snapdragon 865 Plus chip in next year's flagship models.

Huawei's Kirin chip, manufactured by its subsidiary HiSilicon, might have posed a reasonable challenge a year or so ago. However, the ongoing dispute between Huawei and the U.S. government means that the Chinese company's chip design and manufacturing efforts are severely hampered. Only Apple remains, but Apple is unlikely to relinquish its mighty and highly customized chips to Android competitors.

There are other chipmakers, such as MediaTek, whose products are not as powerful as Qualcomm's. This is understandable given MediaTek's focus on budget phones, but it shows once again how firmly Qualcomm has a grip on the flagship market.

How this price hike will affect the Galaxy S30 and other Android flagships will be known next year, when the S30 will likely be released in February The S30 will likely be released in February, and the S30 will likely be released in February. However, leaks are likely to emerge before then.