For the first time in years, Samsung might be moving away from its tradition of offering Exynos chipsets in certain regions of its flagship phones. Leaks and reports suggest that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S25 series will feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset in all versions across every market—a significant departure from Samsung’s previous practice of reserving Snapdragon models for specific markets, such as North America and parts of Europe.
Snapdragon 8 Elite for All Galaxy S25 Models
- Chipset: All models in the Galaxy S25 series (including the Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra) are tipped to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset.
- Global Availability: Unlike previous Galaxy flagships, which used Exynos in some markets (e.g., Europe) and Snapdragon in others (e.g., North America), the Galaxy S25 series might see Snapdragon 8 Elite in all regions, providing a consistent and high-performance experience for users worldwide.
- Why This Matters: Historically, Snapdragon has been favored for its superior performance and efficiency compared to Exynos, especially in areas like battery life, gaming, and CPU performance. This shift could be seen as a response to past criticisms of the Exynos chips, which some users felt lagged behind Qualcomm’s offerings.
Reports and Speculations
This new direction for Samsung’s flagship phones comes from prominent tipster Ice Universe, who has a solid track record when it comes to Samsung leaks. The rumor aligns with other earlier speculations about Samsung fully adopting Snapdragon for its flagship lineup.
- Previous Launch Trends: While Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra was powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in all markets, other models in the series had different chipsets depending on the region. This year, however, all versions of the S25 could feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, potentially making the Exynos variants a thing of the past.
Launch Date and Early Announcement
- Promotional Survey: Samsung might be looking to launch the Galaxy S25 series earlier than usual. According to a promotional survey, January 5, 2025, could be the date for either the launch or pre-reservations for the Galaxy S25 lineup. This would be earlier than the January 17th launch of the Galaxy S24 series last year.
- Expected Pre-Orders: If January 5 is indeed the pre-order date, it could give potential buyers an early look at Samsung’s new flagship phones, with a full global release expected shortly after.
Conclusion
Samsung’s potential decision to use the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset across all Galaxy S25 models could be a significant change in the company’s approach to flagship smartphones. It aligns with user preferences for Snapdragon over Exynos and could lead to a more consistent performance across global markets.
With the launch date possibly moving up to early January, the Galaxy S25 series might be arriving sooner than anticipated, potentially giving Samsung a head start in the flagship race for 2025.
