Chip earmarked for most Galaxy S25 units to be built by Samsung in H2 2024

We should see Samsung’s next flagship series, the Galaxy S25, released in late January or early February 2025. The world’s largest smartphone manufacturer is expected to use the next iteration of its own Samsung-designed and Samsung-built Exynos chipset, the Exynos 2500, to power the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ in all markets outside of the U.S., China, and Canada; in those markets, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 SoC will power those models. And the latter chipset will drive the Galaxy S25 Ultra in all markets.

The Exynos 2500, according to DigiTimes (via Wccftech), will be mass-produced during the second half of this year by Samsung Foundry using its second-generation 3nm node. As we’ve mentioned before, Samsung Foundry has the edge over TSMC at 3nm because it uses Gate-All-Around (GAA) transistors which use horizontal nanosheets placed vertically allowing the gate material to surround the channel on all four sides reducing current leakage and improving the drive current.

Using the GAA transistor architecture will improve chip performance by generating superior electrical signals that pass through and between the transistors. TSMC, which is building the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, won’t start using GAA until it produces chips using its 2nm node next year. This could make the Exynos 2500 AP a stronger challenger to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 than many would believe.

The Exynos 2500 will be built by Samsung Foundry giving it an advantage over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4

The Exynos 2500 AP is expected to have 10 CPU cores consisting of one Cortex-X5 Ultimate Performance CPU core clocked up to 3.2GHz, three Cortex-A730 Performance-Efficient CPU cores running at a clock speed up to 2.5GHz, two Cortex-A730 Performance-Efficient CPU cores with a clock speed as fast as 2.5GHz, and four Cortex-A520 High-Efficiency CPU cores clocked up to 2.2GHz.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 AP will use Qualcomm’s own Phoenix cores and is tipped to include two “Big” Phoenix CPU cores and six “Medium” CPU cores. Qualcomm is taking a slight risk by not including any low-powered “Small” CPU cores which are used to handle simple tasks without consuming that much battery power. There are rumors that devices using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset will need to sport a 5500-6000mAh battery, Additionally, without any “Small” cores, there will be some concern about the chip’s thermals.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 SoC should be introduced during the annual Snapdragon Summit to be held in October.

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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.