For years, Samsung's flagship phone buyers have been trapped in a geographical lottery. The outward appearance of these handsets may be similar, but the chipset powering them often varies by region. In the USA, Qualcomm chips are used, while the rest of the world gets models with Samsung's own Exynos processors. However, next year's Samsung Galaxy S25 family is set to be an exception, with all three models featuring the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite, regardless of the purchase location. This is great news for tech enthusiasts as it ensures that reviews will accurately reflect the performance of the purchased model. Historically, Qualcomm chips have outperformed their Exynos counterparts.

But a Temporary Change

Apparently, this shift is not set to last. On X, leaker @Jukanlosreve claimed that Samsung plans to "‘significantly’ equip the Galaxy S26 with Exynos chips the year after next. Given that the Galaxy S25 has not even been released yet, this indicates a potential change in the chipset strategy. Such a move is somewhat expected. The main reason for the absence of Exynos-powered devices this year is due to low yields from Samsung's 3nm manufacturing process, as reported by Korean media. Additionally, we already know that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 will be the first foldable powered by an Exynos chip, suggesting that Samsung is not solely relying on Qualcomm from now on.

While Samsung would prefer to use its own chips to cut costs, especially considering that the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite is estimated to be 25-30% more expensive than its predecessor, the weak state of the Korean Won also poses a challenge. Tech enthusiasts may be disappointed as historically, Qualcomm versions of Galaxy phones have outperformed their Exynos equivalents. It's a shame that we may return to an uneven playing field as early as 2026.

However, there are two important points to consider. Firstly, although there have been big claims in the past about Exynos hardware potentially surpassing Qualcomm, only to result in disappointment, it is possible that 2026 will be the year when this changes. While past performance may not suggest this, one can never be sure. Secondly, the actual real-world difference in flagship phone performance may not be as significant as benchmarks suggest. For most users, the experience of using an Exynos-flavored Samsung Galaxy S26 is likely to be indistinguishable from a Qualcomm-powered one, unless they are pushing the phone's GPU with extremely intensive games.

The Launch of the Galaxy S25

We are still a long way from the launch of the Galaxy S26 as Samsung needs to first release the Galaxy S25. It is expected to launch in late January and will feature rounded corners, a larger display on the S25, and a rounded back panel on the S25 Ultra. The deluxe model may also come with 50MP sensors on both the ultrawide and secondary telephoto lenses, which is a significant upgrade from the 12MP and 10MP lenses on the S24 Ultra.

The Impact on the Market

This change in Samsung's chipset strategy is likely to have an impact on the market. Consumers will need to consider whether the potential performance differences between Qualcomm and Exynos chips are significant enough to influence their purchasing decisions. It also raises questions about Samsung's long-term commitment to Qualcomm or its own chip technology. As we await the launch of the Galaxy S25 and beyond, it will be interesting to see how this story unfolds and how it affects the smartphone industry.