What you need to know
- Typically, Samsung uses a combination of Qualcomm Snapdragon chips and its own Exynos chips.
- A leaker with a reliable track record claims that the entire Galaxy S25 lineup will be powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite, in all markets.
- If true, the Galaxy S25 would only be the third Galaxy S lineup to be exclusively powered by a Qualcomm system-on-a-chip.
Samsung often sells its flagship phones with different processors, depending on your region. For example, some versions of the Samsung Galaxy S24 series shipped with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 systems-on-a-chip (SoCs), while others featured the Exynos 2400. This comes with benefits and drawbacks: Snapdragon phones are typically faster, while Exynos handsets are more efficient. Looking ahead to the Galaxy S25 lineup, one reliable leaker claims that all phones will be Snapdragon-powered, in all markets.
Ice Universe, a leaker with a solid track record on all things Samsung, reiterated their position in a post on X (formerly Twitter). The tipster predicts that every Galaxy S25 model worldwide will have Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite on the inside, the company’s newest SoC.
I reiterate that all versions of the Galaxy S25 series in the world adopt Snapdragon 8 Elite, and will not adopt Exynos.November 13, 2024
Snapdragon chips usually beat their Exynos counterparts in performance, but that disparity could be even greater in 2025. The Snapdragon 8 Elite uses Qualcomm’s custom Oryon cores, which helped the chipmaker find immense success with its Snapdragon X lineup of laptop-class processors. That, plus prior reports of low yield rates for Samsung’s Exynos processors, could explain why the Korean tech giant is going all-in on Snapdragon.
One report out of Korea last month said that low yield rates for the Exynos 2500 chipset, expected to power some Galaxy S25 models, forced Samsung to change its plans. Another, more recent report suggests that Samsung Foundry’s yield woes haven’t improved since then. It claimed Samsung’s yield rate for 3nm chips was less than 20%, which is an unsustainable figure.
Combined, all these rumors and reports point to Ice Universe’s claim that the Galaxy S25 will be exclusively Snapdragon-powered being correct. If true, it would only be the third time Samsung didn’t use an Exynos chip in a Galaxy S lineup in at least some regions. The last time that happened was when the Galaxy S23 series launched with only the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy platform.
However, the Samsung Galaxy S25 lineup being exclusively powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite might come with pros and cons. Though the chipset looks to be plenty fast, it’s more expensive than its predecessor, leading some to believe the Galaxy S25 could launch with a price hike.
