Samsung’s Exynos 2500 “dream chip” may remain only a dream. The company has reportedly canceled the new flagship processor. It was supposed to power the Galaxy S25 series in some markets but poor yields and other challenges have led to the decision to scrap it. The Korean firm has also abandoned plans to use the chip in the Galaxy S25 FE and 2025 foldables.
Samsung canceled its Exynos 2500 “dream chip” for the Galaxy S25 series
The Exynos 2500 is Samsung’s first 3nm smartphone processor — the Galaxy Watch Ultra’s Exynos W1000 is its first 3nm mobile chip. Reports indicate that Samsung had formed a dedicated team to develop the processor for the Galaxy S25 series. Internally dubbed the “dream chip,” it was meant to signal the comeback of Exynos flagships after years of underwhelming results.
However, Samsung Foundry struggled with a poor yield of the Exynos 2500 that it fabricated on its second-gen 3nm GAA (Gate All Around) process node. Despite months of efforts, the yield rate has remained low, too low for mass production. As a result, the company decided to ship the Galaxy S25 series with Qualcomm’s newly launched Snapdragon 8 Elite worldwide.
The Exynos 2500 was still expected to power the Galaxy S25 FE next year. There have been rumors about it potentially powering the next flip as well, the Galaxy Z Flip 7. However, tipster @chunvn8888 says none of this is happening. They cite unnamed Korean media reports saying that Samsung has canceled the Exynos 2500 altogether. The dream chip remains a dream.
According to the tipster, the Galaxy S25 FE will use Samsung’s Exynos 2400 that powered the Galaxy S245 and S24+ this year. Samsung recently launched the Galaxy S24 FE with an underclocked Exynos 2400, which it named the Exynso 2400e. If this turns out to be true, it would be a major setback for Samsung’s semiconductor development team. A confirmation on the fate of the Exynos 2500 is expected soon.
