Image Source: Future/Lance Ulanoff
Recent reports suggest that Samsung may still opt to include its Exynos 2500 chipset in the upcoming Galaxy S25 series, despite earlier indications favoring Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors. This development contradicts previous speculations that Samsung would exclusively use Snapdragon chips for its flagship smartphones.
According to a report from South Korea, Samsung is intensifying efforts under a project codenamed ‘Solomon’ to enhance the yield of its Exynos 2500 processor. Yield improvement is critical as current reports indicate that the yields for the Exynos 2500 have been below 20 percent as of Q2 2024, with even lower figures in previous quarters. Samsung aims to achieve a significant increase in yield to at least 60 percent by September or October to facilitate mass production of the Exynos 2500.
The South Korean tech giant is concurrently developing the Exynos W1000 chip under its ‘Sapphire’ project, set to succeed the Exynos W930 that powers the Galaxy Watch 6. This underscores Samsung’s broader strategy to enhance its semiconductor capabilities across different product lines.
Earlier projections by market analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had suggested that Samsung might lean towards Snapdragon chips for the Galaxy S25 series due to concerns over the Exynos 2500 yields. However, Samsung’s reported efforts to boost Exynos production indicate a potential strategy shift.
In the current Galaxy lineup, the Galaxy S24 and S24+ variants feature the Exynos 2400 chipset in most markets, with Snapdragon chips used in select regions. The Galaxy S24 Ultra, on the other hand, universally adopts the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. The final decision on whether the Galaxy S25 series will uniformly feature Snapdragon processors, akin to last year’s Galaxy S23 series, remains pending.
Samsung’s approach reflects its ongoing efforts to balance performance, production capabilities, and market demands as it prepares for the next phase of flagship smartphone releases.
