Bye-bye Exynos? All Galaxy S25 phones might have Snapdragon power

The Samsung Galaxy S25 series is only expected to launch in January 2025, but the leaks are continuing to stream in. Now, a Korean outlet has made some interesting claims regarding the processor in these new phones.

Hankyung (via r/Android) reports that all three Galaxy S25 series phones will be exclusively powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 processor. This would be a major development as, with the exception of the Galaxy S23 series (Snapdragon) and Galaxy S6 (Exynos), Samsung has long used both Snapdragon and Exynos chips in its Galaxy S phones each year.

The outlet also asserts that the so-called Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 for Galaxy chip is in the works and is “specialized for the Galaxy S25 Ultra.” This suggests that the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus could get regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chips, although that would be a major change from Samsung’s current practice of using overclocked “Snapdragon for Galaxy” chips in all Snapdragon-powered Galaxy S phones.

It’s believed Samsung is still focused on improving the yield and performance of the Exynos 2500 chip, which was previously expected to land in some Galaxy S25 phones. Furthermore, the website claims that Samsung is thinking about using the Exynos 2500 in the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and/or Galaxy Z Fold 7, which are scheduled for release in the second half of 2025.

For what it’s worth, the Galaxy maker has never used an Exynos chip in its foldable phones. Erroneous reports earlier this year asserted that the Exynos 2400 would arrive in the Galaxy Z Flip 6. Of course, the phone only uses a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. So you shouldn’t hold your breath for an Exynos-powered foldable phone in 2025.

What does a Snapdragon-only Galaxy S25 series mean?

The Exynos vs Snapdragon war has been raging for years now. Exynos-powered Galaxy phones have long lagged behind Snapdragon variants in terms of performance. In fact, our own Galaxy S24 testing shows that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 variant is more powerful than the Exynos 2400 model. So Snapdragon-only models around the world would be a boon for consumers who value performance. However, our testing also revealed that the Exynos-powered Galaxy S24 enjoys better battery life than the Snapdragon model in most tasks.

A Snapdragon-only Galaxy S25 series might be a bad thing for reasons unrelated to performance, battery life, and features. Qualcomm previously disclosed that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 expected to power 2025’s high-end phones will be more expensive than the current Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. This doesn’t bode well for Galaxy S25 series pricing if it’s exclusively reliant on Snapdragon chips.