Rumor has it that Samsung is planning on making a Galaxy-exclusive processor for its 2025 flagship phones. The rumor originated in a potentially suspect report by Business Korea, but has been corroborated by another Korean outlet, Naver, which added additional details. Despite the two reports, Samsung has issued a response to Android Authority saying that “no specific plans have been made” when it comes to the development of new chipsets down the line.
While it would be nice to be able to take Samsung at its word, the company’s response is PR speak for “we don’t have anything to announce at this time,” a statement that neither confirms nor denies the claims. The rumors in question are surprising, but not out of the realm of possibility for the company. Business Korea and Naver claim that Samsung will be starting work in July on an exclusive Galaxy chipset for its 2025 offerings while deferring to out-of-house processors for the Galaxy S23 and S24.
Based on Samsung’s switch to Snapdragon processors for some of its midrange lines, it seems like upcoming Galaxy phones could be running on the Snapdragon 8-series processors until Samsung finally reveals its own exclusive chip. Samsung’s Exynos processors have never been a fan-favorite chip, so it’s hard to see its customers complaining.
It’s a risky move, but if Samsung can pull it off, then the company could be able to better compete with Apple’s Silicon processors, which is the explicit goal according to Samsung. The move to custom ARM chips is an industrywide one. Microsoft has its SQ1 chip, Google has its Tensor, and Oppo is working on one of its own. Samsung is better placed to execute, as the company has had a long history of building its own (somewhat flawed) chips. An unnamed Samsung official was cited in the Naver report as saying that the choice was made by “top management” for “a long-term vision.” That vision is clarified to be Samsung’s goal of “surpassing” Apple’s Silicon chipset in the U.S.
The reports are far from airtight, but they’ve turned a lot of heads in Samsung’s direction as fans wait expectantly to hear about the future of Galaxy processors. Based on the company’s non-answer about chip development, it’s a safe bet to assume that it won’t have much to say on the matter until it’s ready to do so and not a moment sooner.
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