A few months ago, Samsung officially named the Exynos 2500, making us believe the chip will be used in at least some Galaxy S25 series devices. However, some reports claim that Samsung could use Snapdragon chips globally, while others say it could use MediaTek chips instead. It is all very confusing right now.
It is still unclear if Galaxy S25 will use Exynos, MediaTek, or Snapdragon chips
According to a report from famed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Samsung will buy more Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 (also known as Snapdragon 8 Elite) chips from Qualcomm this year. If this report is accurate, Samsung could use Snapdragon chips in all Galaxy S25 series devices globally. This chip is reportedly Qualcomm's costliest and most mobile processor ever made. This year alone, the company is expected to ship 9 million Snapdragon 8 Elite chips, each costing around $180.
However, a recent report suggested that the Galaxy S25 and the Galaxy S25+ could use MediaTek's flagship Dimensity 9400 chip, which was launched recently. Another report from Hankyung claims that Samsung is still considering the Exynos 2500 chip for the Galaxy S25 series. According to the report, the South Korean firm will finalize the processor between the end of this month and the early next month.
The story continues after our video below.
Earlier, Samsung was expected to use the in-house Exynos 2500 chip in the Galaxy S25 and the Galaxy S25+. However, the yield of this 3nm chip was insufficient, so Samsung could be forced to use third-party chips. However, if Samsung Foundry manages to improve the yield of its 3nm chip fabrication process, Samsung could still use the Exynos 2500 processor.
While Samsung has used Snapdragon chips globally in the past, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is said to be 15% pricier than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This will affect the pricing of the Galaxy S25 series. Samsung won't be happy increasing the price of its high-end phones, so the company might look at MediaTek's Dimensity 9400 chip. Regardless, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is expected to use the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip globally.