Samsung may launch the Galaxy S25 flagship series in January 2023, all models will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 CPU only as per a report published by the Korean media outlet Hankyung aligned with Kuo. According to the report, the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, and Galaxy S25 Ultra will feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. For Galaxy processor worldwide, replacing the previously anticipated Exynos 2500.

More About the Snapdragon and Exynos on Galaxy S25, Fold 7, and Flip 7

There were early rumors that Samsung might leverage its own Exynos 2500 chip for the Galaxy S25, with the possibility of certain markets receiving a similar version developed for the Galaxy S25+. It also appears the firm has changed its mind and will stick with Qualcomm Snapdragon chips across all models.

That’s a switch from this year, when both the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ came with an Exynos 2400 chip in all regions while only the US got to enjoy Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 inside one of these models. This suggests Samsung’s new strategy may be to reserve only the top-performing components for its flagship products, as outlined in Cadence Benchmark’s report.

According to the report, Samsung’s new initiative is intended to keep its flagship smartphones’ performance in check by using only top-end components. Samsung, which tends to follow Apple’s lead and higher-performance AI features hopes that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 delivers more than a modest improvement at over thirty percent in both AI and GPU.

Samsung has traditionally decided to put Exynos chips in some high-end models just so it can be offered a better price and secure the supply chain. However, the shift to Snapdragon is intended to meet performance demands more effectively.

The report also says Samsung is set to spend more money on its own chip design, with the 2023 costs for smartphone chipset development expected to rise from KRW 7.6295 trillion ($5.69 billion) in 2021 to KRW 11.732 trillion ($8.75 bn) in 2023, now accounting for about “20% of production cost.” Despite Qualcomm losing its top position in shipments to MediaTek, it remains the leader in sales with a 36% market share for the first quarter of this year. Samsung plans to strengthen its position in the premium AI processor market, currently dominated by Apple, by promoting the Galaxy S25 with Qualcomm’s chip.

Additionally, Samsung’s semiconductor division is working on enhancing the performance and stability of the Exynos 2500 chip, with plans to advance 3nm chip fabrication processes for improved competitiveness. After the successful production of the Exynos W1000 AP using the 3nm process for the Galaxy Watch 7, the Exynos 2500 AP is expected to be ready by early next year. The DS division also plans to use the Exynos 2500 for the Galaxy Fold and Flip 7, slated for release in August next year.