There have been numerous speculations and leaks regarding the chipset for the Samsung Galaxy S25 series. The company was debating between multiple options in light of Samsung Foundry’s yield-related issues. Previous reports claimed that the brand would make a final decision by the end of this month. However, it seems that Samsung has already decided to implement the Snapdragon 8 Elite not only in the Galaxy S25 lineup but in the Galaxy S26 as well.
Samsung had a lot of faith in the Exynos 2500 chip. The brand designed the chip to compete directly with the Snapdragon 8 Elite and Dimensity 9400. Sadly, the performance of its wafers did not live up to the company’s vision. Reports indicate that Samsung continued to test the Exynos 2500 until recently, eagerly anticipating positive updates from its Foundry division. However, as industry insiders predicted, it seems that the hurdles were too big to overcome.
Snapdragon chips could power both the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S26 series
Tipster Ice Universe revealed that the entire Galaxy S25 series will use the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. This implies that the company has finally given up on its intentions to implement the Exynos 2500 chip. Samsung would have been working hard to try to improve the yield rates of its 3nm GAA wafers until the last minute. But this appears to require more time than the company has.
A new post from Ice Universe said that high-end Exynos chips won’t be returning to the Galaxy S line until 2027. The source said on Weibo that Samsung is working on the next flagship Exynos SoC under the codename “Ulysses.” The company will go all out on the project to regain the public’s trust. The chip would be manufactured on Samsung’s 2nm process (SF2P) and would power the Galaxy S27 series. Meanwhile, the 2026 Galaxy S26 series will also rely on Snapdragon hardware, the post claims.
Even if the leak is true, the Exynos 2500 project is still on the cards, though. Other sources claim we’ll see the SoC in the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7. Samsung Foundry’s current main goal is to make mass production of the chip commercially viable by improving the wafer yield rate to acceptable levels. On the other hand, the Galaxy S25 FE would arrive in late 2025 with MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 chip.
Samsung has already sacrificed Exynos in favor of Snapdragon before
This wouldn’t be the first time Samsung has dropped an Exynos chip due to disappointing performance. For instance, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powers the entire Galaxy S23 series worldwide. The forced use of Snapdragon hardware can be good news in terms of performance, although it could also impact the price of the devices. Multiple reports claim that the Snapdragon 8 Elite is significantly more expensive than its predecessor.
