Samsung has historically equipped its high-end smartphones with Snapdragon chips, with the last year seeing all its premium devices boasting these processors. However, the trend shifted slightly this year with Samsung opting to use Snapdragon chips exclusively in the Galaxy S24 Ultra, while the Galaxy S24 and S24+ models featured Exynos chips across most markets. It appears this mixed usage is set to continue, but with a renewed long-term commitment to Snapdragon for its flagship series.
Galaxy S and Galaxy Z Series to Continue Featuring Snapdragon Chips
During its fourth-quarter earnings call in 2023, Qualcomm revealed an extensive multiyear agreement with Samsung to continue supplying Snapdragon processors for the Korean giant’s flagship Galaxy smartphones. This deal is set to commence in 2024, starting with the Galaxy S24 lineup. As a result, consumers can anticipate that both Galaxy S and Galaxy Z series smartphones will be powered by Snapdragon’s high-end processors for several future generations, sidelining the potential use of MediaTek chips in these premium models.
Qualcomm shared during the call, “We’re also announcing that we extended a multiyear agreement with Samsung relating to Snapdragon platforms for flagship Galaxy smartphone launches starting in 2024. The extended agreement demonstrates the value of Snapdragon 8, our technology leadership, and our successful long-term strategic partnership with Samsung.”
Moreover, Samsung is currently developing its proprietary ‘Dream Chip’ intended for the Galaxy S25 series. This chip is notably set to utilize Samsung Foundry’s advanced second-generation 3nm process technology. Rumors suggest that the chip’s architecture will include the latest ARM Cortex-X5 CPU core, five Cortex-A720 cores, four Cortex-A530 cores, and the powerful Xclipse 950 GPU. The performance and efficiency of this Exynos processor, particularly in comparison to the future Snapdragon 8 Gen 4’s Oryon CPU core, are eagerly anticipated by industry observers and will serve as a critical assessment of Samsung Foundry’s 3nm production capabilities.
