2023 has been the best year for Samsung's flagship smartphones, and ironically, that's because one important component in all the Galaxy flagships launched this year isn't made by Samsung. The Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, Galaxy S23 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 5, and Galaxy Z Flip 5 are all powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, with Samsung getting exclusive rights on an overclocked version of the chip for most of 2023.
Samsung's foldables are always powered exclusively by Snapdragon chips, but until last year, most Galaxy S customers had to make do with Samsung's in-house Exynos chips. In 2022, Samsung kept the Exynos variant of its Galaxy S lineup limited to the European continent. This year, the company went all in with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
Samsung fans were hopeful that it would continue this new trend in 2024, but, as we have learned over the past few weeks, that is not going to be the case. Exynos is coming back next year, and the new chip, the Exynos 2400, brings massive improvements to CPU, GPU, and AI performance over the Exynos 2200 and will power the Galaxy S24 series in addition to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
But how are things going to work when it comes to who gets the Exynos variant and who gets the Snapdragon variant? Well, the Galaxy S24 series is still a couple of months away so there's no official confirmation, but there is enough existing information for an unofficial confirmation.
Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ getting Exynos 2400 in most markets
The Galaxy S24 is taking the lineup back to its long-standing tradition of having a Snapdragon chipset in an extremely limited number of countries. The Exynos 2400 will power the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ in pretty much every country other than the US, Canada, Korea, China, and Japan, like most Galaxy S flagships from before the Galaxy S22.
Is this bad news? It's hard to say at this time. Exynos chips have consistently performed poorly in many metrics over the last few years compared to Snapdragon chips, but we're hopeful the Exynos 2400 will be a return to form since it's the result of two years worth of development.
In fact, as far as the base Galaxy S24 and battery life are concerned, the Exynos 2400 has to be amazing if we wish to see the same kind of impressive battery life for its size that you get on the base Galaxy S23. Samsung has praised the Exynos 2400's upgraded AMD RDNA3-based GPU and benchmarks have shown impressive performance, but we will have to wait and see how efficient it will be.
Want Snapdragon? The Galaxy S24 Ultra will be your only option
Anyone who can't bear the thought of buying a Galaxy flagship with an Exynos chip next year will have to go for the Galaxy S24 Ultra. There's no Exynos Galaxy S24 Ultra – all countries will get the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Samsung hasn't outright confirmed it but has hinted that is going to be the case, and there are no signs of a non-Snapdragon Galaxy S24 Ultra in benchmarks or anywhere else where we generally get to find out processor details for upcoming Samsung smartphones.
The reasons for why the Exynos 2400 won't power the Galaxy S24 Ultra are unknown. If we were to guess, Samsung realizes the Ultra model needs to have the best of everything and knows the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is the superior chip. But it's more likely that the Snapdragon exclusivity is a result of Qualcomm's “strategic partnership” with the Korean giant, a partnership that started this year when Samsung decided to forego using Exynos for the Galaxy S23 series.
While fans may not be pleased, having an Exynos and Snapdragon split for the base and Plus models and using only Snapdragon for the Ultra model would be the best middle ground that allows Samsung to continue its Qualcomm partnership while bringing Exynos chips back in the game. Lowering production costs is likely a reason as well, as prices of Snapdragon SoCs have reportedly increased in the last couple of years and could rise further in the coming years.
Should you buy the Galaxy S23 or S23+ if you prefer Snapdragon?
Some of you may be wondering if you should just buy the Galaxy S23 or Galaxy S23+ instead of waiting for the S24 and S24+ if the latter won't be launched with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in your country. Well, it depends on how badly you need a phone right now and whether or not you're looking to get a sizable discount.
If you can't wait for a new phone, then getting the Galaxy S23 or Galaxy S23+ right away is indeed an excellent option. The same goes for discounts, as Samsung regularly has some pretty amazing deals going for the entire Galaxy S23 lineup these days, especially if you trade-in an older device.
If getting the latest and greatest is your aim, then it's best to wait for the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ and to see if the Exynos 2400 ends up being another disappointment or turns the ship back around. If it's the former, the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ will still be around for some time after the Galaxy S24 lineup goes on sale.
