Samsung Galaxy S20 kernel code hints at Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Fold 2 with Snapdragon 865, mysterious Project “Zodiac” device

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A few weeks after the announcement of the Galaxy S20 series, Samsung released the kernel source code for the Exynos and Snapdragon S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra. In the Snapdragon Galaxy S20’s kernel source, we found references that we believe refer to the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Fold 2 with the Snapdragon 865 SoC. We also found a reference to a mysterious new device called the “Zodiac” project.

We were able to find files for five different devices and 3 different series in the Galaxy S20 kernel sources. The projects were “Project XYZ,” “Project Canvas,” and “Project Winner2.” Project XYZ is the Galaxy S20 series: The Galaxy S20 is x1, the Galaxy S20+ is y2, and the S20 Ultra is z3. Project Canvas is likely the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 20 series, as hinted at by Ice Universe. We were able to find “c2”, but there will likely be 2 more devices, “c0” and “c1”, but we can not confirm these exist at the moment. Lastly, there is Project Winner2. This is very likely the Galaxy Fold 2 given that the first Galaxy Fold was “Project Winner.” GalaxyClub also reported this code-name last month. There were rumors of the Galaxy Fold 2 having the code name “champ“, but that could be a different foldable device that Samsung is working on.

The fact that Samsung is using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 in the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Fold 2 should not be surprising. Samsung already uses the Snapdragon 865 in the Galaxy S20 line of phones, and it only makes sense for Samsung to use it in the Galaxy Fold successor since the first model already uses the Snapdragon 855. We were able to confirm the use of these chips since the “kona” code-name refers to the Snapdragon 865. We can see in the code that “winner2” and “canvas” are both based on “kona” AKA the Snapdragon 865.

Several “Kconfig” files detail the Snapdragon 865 devices that Samsung has released or will release. They include “Kconfig.winner2”, “Kconfig.canvas”, and “Kconfig.xyz.” Each of these files stores the project files for a specific device and the regions that are supported. For example, the Galaxy S20 series are stored in the “Kconfig.xyz” file. In the file, we can see that the Snapdragon version of the Galaxy S20 is available in South Korea, the United States, Canada, China, and Japan. For “canvas”, the file only shows the United States, which would mean the Snapdragon Galaxy Note 20 will only be available in the U.S. Keep in mind, though, that this is still very early in development, so we expect this to change. For “winner2”, we only see a config for the European open market.

Meanwhile in the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip’s kernel source code, we found a new device called “Project Zodiac” based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855. This device will be available in China as that is the only region that is mentioned. It is likely that “Project Zodiac” is going to be a China-only phone, but we unfortunately don’t have more information on this device at the moment.

These leaks give us something to look forward to later this year assuming there aren’t major delays due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. There are a lot of devices poised to launch in the next few months, and I couldn’t be more excited.