We’ve definitely heard this one before. It seems like every year, someone starts a rumor that the upcoming Galaxy S series will ditch Exynos. Qualcomm only, they say, it’ll be great, they tell us. It never seems to happen, but hey maybe 2025 is our lucky year. We now have our yearly dose of this rumor for the Galaxy S25 series. According to a new report from Hankyung, Samsung decided to ditch the Exynos 2500 on the S25 and S25+, opting for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 on all Galaxy S25 series devices. We heard a similar rumor in 2023 about the S24 and S24+ and we all know how that turned out. The S24 Ultra uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 around the globe, but the S24 and S24+ are stuck with Exynos in many regions.
Is the rumor finally true?
There are some solid reasons to believe this rumor could actually be true this year. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 features massive improvements for AI functionality. With Apple and other Chinese OEMs ramping up the great smartphone AI race, Samsung needs to impress with the S25 series. In addition, Exynos chips in general have a somewhat bad reputation for underperforming. Samsung doesn’t want that stigma to harm one of their biggest launches in years, nor give Apple an advantage at this pivotal time. From a marketing perspective, it makes a lot of sense for Samsung go with Snapdragon in every S25 device. The perception of faster processors might be more important than the actual speed, as far as sales numbers are concerned.
On the other hand, Samsung saves a ton of money by putting Exynos chips in high-end smartphones. Purchasing chips from Samsung’s semiconductor business offers better pricing and higher profit margins for the mobile business. The Exynos 2500 seems quite impressive thus far, so it may not be a significant downgrade if this rumor falls through yet another year. Let us know what you think – would you prefer Snapdragon chips in all S25 series devices? If you’re planning to buy a Galaxy S25, S25+, or S25 Ultra, be sure to sign up for our free mystery box program.
