The Exynos 2500 was expected to power global models of the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S25 series, with Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 set to be an exclusive chipset for those handsets due to low yields from one country’s foundries preventing mass production commercially amounting despite earlier rumors.

But Samsung might be up to something else, as a new rumor indicates it could still tap essentially the competition for the Galaxy S25 series with MediaTek chipsets. Since Samsung is supposedly hoping to design in the Dimensity 9300+ with an approaching Galaxy Tab S10 Plus, moving to MediaTek could be another opportunity.

The Rumors About Samsung Galaxy S25

Although reports from insiders have said that Samsung will eventually take a dual-chipset launch strategy for the Galaxy S25 lineup, but 3nm process has yield issues and therefore could delay the Exynos 2500 as well. But Samsung has the MediaTek option (in a cheeky twist of fate, The Financial Times adds fuel to MediaTek flames), raising some hope that it can continue its dual-chipset strategy. It makes perfect sense to test the Galaxy S25 with the MediaTek chipset.

Samsung meanwhile, is having a hard time managing to keep its high margins as Qualcomm keeps increasing the prices of their chips. We also anticipate the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 to be costlier than the Snapdragon 8 Gen three which implies Samsung should make common compromises in different areas with the purpose of maintaining Qualcomm’s premium invoice. Moreover, as Dimensity 9400 is apparently based on the same TSMC 3nm ‘N3E’ process Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 uses, Samsung can expect Galaxy S25 models powered by either SoC to deliver similar performance and efficiency.

We even have more confirmations that MediaTek provides its chipsets at a cheaper rate than Qualcomm. The firm was shipping around 114 million units in Q1 2024 with revenues of $23 billion while its discrete rival, Qualcomm sold about 75 million for a revenue haul of over twice that at $37bn. MediaTek has a rare opportunity to demonstrate to Samsung that its premium SoC can match or surpass a Qualcomm equivalent, potentially leading to a long-term partnership for future Galaxy S launches.

Still, readers should not take this rumor seriously and have patience for more details. Although it is possible that Samsung could migrate to MediaTek as a means of bringing the cost of its chipsets down, everything from production size to in-house QA likely factors into whether or not they’d actually switch. We’ll be sure to keep an eye on this as always and subsequently follow up with more information; we apologize for any confusion.

FAQs

Is Samsung considering a MediaTek SoC for the Galaxy S25?

There are rumors suggesting Samsung might include a MediaTek SoC, potentially from the Dimensity series, alongside its usual Snapdragon and Exynos options for the Galaxy S25.

How could these rumors impact the pricing of the Samsung Galaxy S25?

The rumors indicate Samsung is exploring alternative SoC options like its Exynos 2500 to manage potential price increases of Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. Incorporating MediaTek SoCs could influence competitive pricing strategies for Samsung’s flagship phones.