Is Samsung headed back to Snapdragon and Exynos variants for different regions?

This has happened before

What took place with the Galaxy S25 lineup this year wasn’t a first for the company. The Samsung Galaxy S23 phones were notable for also shipping with only Snapdragon processors worldwide. This was likely due to Samsung Foundry’s troubles during those times and the Exynos chips were probably overheating like the Exynos 2200 which powered the Galaxy S22.

The global chipset unification for the Galaxy S23 phones led to consumers and enthusiasts asking why they couldn’t have this every generation. That’s quite a simple question to answer: Samsung wants its own chips to reduce costs and achieve better hardware and software synergy like with Apple silicon.

Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Fold 7 processor reports

Which brings us to current reports coming in from inside the industry. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 are almost upon us but specifications remain murky at best. What seems to be the most contentious debate is whether the phones will also use Snapdragon chipsets or whether Samsung has perfected an Exynos alternative.

On the one hand it seems that the Fold 7 will use the Snapdragon 8 Elite: the same powerful chipset, in fact, that is being used by the Galaxy S25. But two Galaxy Z Flip 7 models were spotted with Exynos chips inside them instead. Furthermore the Fold 7 that was seen with the Snapdragon 8 Elite might actually just be the U.S. version.

All of this means that not only is Samsung testing Exynos chips for its upcoming foldable smartphones but that the U.S. versions may feature different hardware yet again. The company is also hoping to perfect the Exynos 2600 before the launch of the Galaxy S26. But I think it’d be a surprise to see an Exynos chip make its debut so soon after the foundry’s troubles.

I think Samsung has got this

This might be controversial but I really hope that Samsung is able to make its Exynos dreams a reality. Not only that but I also think that the company is capable of doing so. Samsung Foundry recently stabilized its 3 nm chipset manufacturing process and promptly began work on 2 nm chips.

Unlike the 3 nm process — which the company struggled with for so long — Samsung’s 2 nm yield rates have already improved dramatically. A 2 nm Exynos 2600 chipset for the Galaxy S26 lineup is still very much a real possibility.

And while it’s true that Exynos processors haven’t fared too well against their Snapdragon counterparts in the past, I think Samsung should keep trying. Apple silicon completely revolutionized the company’s products. I think that Samsung can do something similar and make much better smartphones and other devices in the future.

A device that has both hardware and software designed by the same company has the potential of becoming an extremely efficient and powerful product. It’s why I’m so excited about Apple becoming a self-reliant powerhouse.

But if the upcoming Z series phones are anything to go by then I fear that that day of Samsung hardware and software is still a ways away. We might just end up back at square one with the Galaxy S26 phones: with Snapdragon and Exynos variants for different regions.