The rumor mill is already churning for Samsung’s Galaxy S25, and the latest buzz focuses on what will power these next-gen flagships. According to reports from ZDNet Korea, Samsung is racing against time to ready its Exynos 2500 chip for a significant portion of S25 devices in certain markets.
This homegrown Exynos 2500 is said to offer performance and efficiency gains over the Exynos 2400 found in some Galaxy S24 models. However, Samsung’s reportedly hitting roadblocks in scaling up production to meet demand. This manufacturing hiccup could force the tech giant’s hand, potentially leading to a Qualcomm-only lineup featuring the yet-to-be-announced Snapdragon 8 Gen 4.
It’s a familiar dance for Samsung. The S24 series already splits its silicon strategy: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 powers the S24 and S24 Plus in North America and China, while other regions get the Exynos 2400. The S24 Ultra, however, rocks Snapdragon globally – a strategy carried over from the S23 family.
While Snapdragon chips generally edge out Exynos in raw power, the real-world difference isn’t always dramatic. Samsung’s motivation for using Exynos is twofold: cost savings and greater control over hardware design. But with production challenges looming, the company might have to lean heavily on Qualcomm for the S25 generation.
The clock is ticking. If Samsung sticks to its recent launch cadence, we could see the Galaxy S25 lineup as soon as January 2025. That leaves precious little time for Samsung to iron out its Exynos production woes.
This chip uncertainty adds an extra layer of intrigue to the S25’s development. Will Samsung manage to include Exynos variants, or will Qualcomm reign supreme across the entire lineup? As always in the world of smartphone rumors, we’ll be watching closely for more concrete details in the coming months.
