If you think Samsung isn't giving the Galaxy M series enough attention, we have good news for you. The Korean tech giant is developing a new M-branded mid-range phone called the Galaxy M44 5G. The phone first appeared on NRRA Korea's website last month, and now it has popped up online again.
This time, the Galaxy M44 5G made its appearance at Bluetooth SIG. The regulatory website confirmed both the SM-M446K model number and the official Galaxy M44 5G moniker.
The Galaxy M44 5G listing mentions Bluetooth specification 5.2 but not much else. Bluetooth SIG published the listing today, October 13, and even though it lacks more hardware details, the greenlight should bring the phone closer to its eventual market release.
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Galaxy M44 5G to be powered by an old flagship chip?
Specifications pertaining to the Galaxy M44 5G are unknown, but one thing that really stands out is the possibility that it will be powered by a high-end chip.
Earlier this summer, a device carrying model number SM-M446K — the same one we see in the Bluetooth certificate — was benchmarked in Geekbench (via 91mobiles). Surprisingly, the phone carried the Snapdragon 888 SoC.
This is an older chip from Qualcomm, developed a few years ago for the high-end market. It powers the Galaxy S21 series in select regions.
The same benchmark also mentioned 6GB of RAM and Android 13, which means the Galaxy M44 5G should run One UI 5.1 at launch. As to when it will be released, that's anyone's guess.
Editor's note: Hearing rumors or seeing Geekbench entries of mid-range Galaxy phones rocking older high-end chips is nothing new, but so far, none of these things have materialized.
From recent memory, there was a rumor that the Galaxy M54 would sport the same Snapdragon 888 chip mentioned above, and that obviously didn't happen. The Galaxy M54 is powered by the Exynos 1380, and I believe there's a higher chance that the same chip also powers the M44.
Unfortunately, benchmarks can be faked. And, in my opinion, the chances of the Galaxy M44 rocking a Snapdragon 888 SoC are slim to none.