In an unexpected move, Samsung has started mass production of the Exynos 2500. According to Korean media, the initial production batch recently began at the company’s Hwaseong S3 foundry line. Despite this progress, the 3nm chip is still not expected to power the upcoming Galaxy S25 phones.
Exynos 2500 enters mass production, but not for Galaxy S25
The Exynos 2500 is Samsung’s first 3nm smartphone processor. Reports suggest the company formed a special team combining engineers from its smartphone and semiconductor divisions to work on this “dream chip” for the Galaxy S25 series. However, Samsung Foundry’s poor 3nm yields prematurely ended this project. The yield rate is too poor for the firm to produce enough chips for the Galaxy S25 lineup.
As such, Samsung is shipping its next flagships with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite globally. There have been rumors about the Korean giant canceling the Exynos 2500 altogether, but not to be. It’s still hopeful of improving its 3nm yield and potentially using the chip in its next-gen Flip foldable. Industry insiders suggest the new Exynos flagship will power the Galaxy Z Flip 7 next year.
A new report from Korea reiterates this claim, adding that Samsung has already started mass production of the Exynos 2500 for the new Flip expected in the second half of 2025. Usually, chips enter production about 5-6 months before the phone’s launch. However, Samsung is starting early this time, likely to compensate for the poor yield rate. A low yield directly impacts the overall production capacity.
Samsung reportedly aims to ship 3.9 million units of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Flip FE combined. The latter is an entry-level model expected to run the Exynos 2400. These will be the first Galaxy foldables to use Exynos processors. Samsung still plans to ship the Galaxy Z Fold 7 with a Qualcomm chip, likely the Snapdragon 8 Elite. The company may also launch a second-gen Fold SE next year for a total of four foldables.
