Galaxy S25 dummy unit poses for pictures as rumors swirl about a new processor for the phone

The other day we showed you a Galaxy S25 Ultra aluminum dummy unit showing off the rounder corner edges that we expect to see on Samsung's top-of-the-line flagship phone early next year. Along with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung will offer the base Galaxy S25 model and the Galaxy S25+. Embedded in this article is a photo of the aluminum dummy unit for the base Galaxy S25 model that was published through a collaboration between VeePN and XLeaks7.

There aren't any major changes design-wise but at 146.94 mm x 70.46 mm x 7.25 mm, the Galaxy S25 will be slightly smaller and thinner than the predecessor model. It also is much smaller than the Galaxy S25 Ultra which will measure 162.82 mm x 77.65 mm x 8.25 mm. That makes the Galaxy S25 the model of choice for those who want a flagship Galaxy phone but also want the device to fit easily in their hands and pockets.

Samsung was originally expected to use two different application processors (AP) for the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ depending on the region where the phone is shipped. Traditionally, all three Galaxy S phones in the U.S., China, and Canada are powered by the latest Snapdragon AP. Everywhere else, the Galaxy S and Galaxy S+ models feature an Exynos chipset and the Galaxy S Ultra model carries the Snapdragon SoC.

Those plans are now up in the air according to one leaker who says that Samsung Foundry's low yield issues might force Sammy to equip all Galaxy S25 series handsets with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 AP.  Samsung last resorted to powering all of its flagship phones with Snapdragon chipsets back in 2023 when the Galaxy S23 series was released. But if Sammy is forced to repeat this next year with the Galaxy S25 line, the South Korean manufacturer will have a big decision to make about the pricing of its flagship phones.

Qualcomm is using its own custom CPU cores for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 instead of licensing them from Arm. Add to that the cost of the silicon wafers needed to produce the SoC using TSMC's second-generation 3nm process node (N3E) and the price of each Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset is expected to rise as much as 20% to $240 according to leaker Ice Universe. Samsung will either be forced to raise its prices for the Galaxy S25 line or accept a reduction in profit margin.

There is a wild card out there as MediaTek's powerful Dimensity 9400 could be priced as low as $155 according to leaker Digital Chat Station. Samsung and MediaTek have flirted with each other in the past and there was a rumor suggesting that back in 2022 Samsung was going to use the Dimensity 9000 to power the Galaxy S22 series. But MediaTek supposedly did not produce enough chips to cover Samsung's needs and the idea was dropped.

Considering the strong performance and price advantage of the Dimensity 9400 AP, which could be packed with 30 billion transistors, Samsung might consider getting into bed with MediaTek at last.