Samsung has traditionally launched its flagship Galaxy S lineup with both Exynos and Snapdragon chips. The Exynos variant would be sold in Europe and Asia while the Snapdragon model is available in the US and China. However, in recent years, flagship Exynos APs have been notably inferior to Qualcomm’s SoC in terms of performance and power efficiency. This significantly impacts real-world use, with Exynos variant users getting a sub-par experience. Following the criticism, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1-powered Galaxy S22 saw a wider launch in more markets this year. And with the Samsung Galaxy S23 next year, the company could go all-in on Qualcomm’s flagship chips.
During Qualcomm’s Q4 earnings call (via GSMArena), the company’s CFO Akash Palhiwala noted that they would have a “global share” in the Galaxy S23, up from about 75% on the S22 series. This will help bolster the chipmaker’s revenue for the March ’23 quarter.
Does this spell the death knell for the Exynos division and chips? Unlikely. Seemingly, Samsung bosses still want the Galaxy S23 to use the Exynos 2300. So, the world’s largest smartphone maker could end up releasing the Exynos 2300-powered Galaxy S23 variant in some markets. Plus, the team is also working on mid-range Exynos SoCs for mid-range Galaxy A devices.
Samsung and Qualcomm signed a multi-year agreement in July 2022 to use more Snapdragon chips in premium Galaxy devices. The Korean tech giant already relies on the chipmaker’s SoCs for its Flip and Fold lineup of devices but has followed a dual-sourcing strategy for the Galaxy S series. This is despite frequent testing and complaints which depict Exynos chips to be significantly inferior to Qualcomm’s product.
Going forward, almost all major markets will likely receive Galaxy S devices with Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets — that is until Samsung’s tailor-made SoC is ready to debut, though it is unlikely to show up until at least 2025.
