Samsung has run into trouble with its efforts to replace the irreplaceable, namely the Snapdragon 8 Elite (Gen 4) processor that Qualcomm has priced in a rather monopolistic way. It is reportedly demanding north of $220 apiece, making it the chipset the most expensive part in the upcoming Galaxy S25 roster.
Yet, according to Ice Universe, Samsung will have to ship all S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra units globally with the Snapdragon 8 Elite (Gen 4) processor silicon inside. For the Galaxy S24 series, it still managed to wiggle some of its cheaper homebrew Exynos 2400 chips inside, but it is having trouble pulling off decent yield of the second-gen 3nm process that the Exynos 2500 processor is built on.
Up to 80% of its newest 3nm processor node production is reportedly discarded, so Samsung is undertaking drastic reorganization efforts in its chip and foundry divisions which may, however, arrive too late for Galaxy S25 comfort. The handset got benchmarked with Exynos 2500 already, but the mass production capacity just isn't there, and it has gotten too late to use anything else than the expensive Snapdragon 8 Elite (Gen 4) processor that TSMC will be making just enough of.
Samsung was able to hit sufficient 60% yield of the first-gen 3nm GAA process that the Exynos 2400 in the Galaxy S24 is made on, but the second generation is in the 20% yield range which is not only preclusive to scoring big foundry customers like Qualcomm or Nvidia, but also not enough for its own S25 phones that are likelt to sell in the millions.
While Galaxy S-line fans prefer Snapdragon chipsets that run faster and cooler, it is bad news for Samsung as Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite (Gen 4) chipset is $100 pricier than Samsung's homebrew efforts.
Samsung briefly considered MediaTek for its Galaxy S25 series processor needs, but the new Dimensity 9400 chip is also built on a second-gen 3nm process, and might not offer enough yield to cover the desired quantities for everyone. It may, however, eventually power the Galaxy S25 FE when it appears, and the Exynos 2500 production issues should also be resolved at some point. Until then, however, Snapdragon it is for the Galaxy S25, it seems.
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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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