Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Will Only Use Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, No Exynos Model Again

Samsung's top-end flagship will continue to use Snapdragon, while base models may get Exynos

Published On: October 7, 2023

Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a single variant with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. Prior to that, Samsung generally offered two variants, the standard Snapdragon model and an Exynos equivalent model, depending on the market.

As per latest reports, Samsung is expected to follow the same pattern and offer the Galaxy 24 Ultra exclusively with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. However, Samsung may offer Exynos models on the regular Galaxy S24 and the Galaxy S24+.

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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Won’t Get an Exynos Variant

According to a Korean news publication The Elec, the upcoming Samsung flagship will offer a single variant, with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. The company wants a Snapdragon-only model for its top-end flagship next year.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 will be the first processor in the Android segment to be produced on a 3nm architecture. Currently, the A17 Pro chipset on the iPhone 15 Pro is the only 3nm processor available in the consumer markets. Qualcomm’s latest flagship will be unveiled at the Snapdragon Summit event on October 24.

However, this does not mean that Samsung is completely skipping Exynos for the second time in a row. The report also says that Samsung will offer Exynos 2400 models for the standard Galaxy S24 and the Galaxy S24+.

The Exynos 2400 was recently spotted on some benchmarking platforms. As per the benchmarks, the Exynos 2400 will feature Samsung’s in-house 4nm architecture, with a ten-core configuration. The company is also expected to implement AI-based functionalities in its latest processor.

As per previous reports, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is expected to get a camera upgrade. The upcoming Samsung flagship is tipped to feature a new 50MP sensor with a 5X zoom periscope lens. Currently, Samsung uses a 10MP sensor for the zoom lens on the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Why Does Samsung Keep Going Back to Exynos?

The last time Samsung used Exynos on its flagship was with the Galaxy S22 Series, with the Exynos 2200 chipset. However, users of the Exynos variant of the Galaxy S22 Ultra complained that the device had multiple thermal issues, as compared to its Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 counterpart.

Given the huge number of complaints, Samsung was forced to have Snapdragon-only variants for the Galaxy S23 Series. The company is now looking to make a re-entry of Exynos with the Galaxy S24 Series. But why does Samsung keep going back to Exynos, even after the massive success of Snapdragon models?

Samsung has been developing Exyos chipsets for over a decade now. Currently, Samsung is the only the second company after Apple that has the capacity to produce processors within its own four walls. This is because manufacturing processors is a very complex engineering challenge, and it makes more sense for mobile brands to outsource chips from Qualcomm and Mediatek, rather than trying on their own.

However, developing the processor helps Samsung to lower the cost of production of the device. It also allows Samsung to narrow the gap between hardware and software of the phone, a segment where Apple has been crushing the Android market for several years.

Samsung’s Exynos also helps to maintain healthy competition in the processor market, which is usually dominated by Qualcomm. Although Mediatek has been trying to catch up with its Dimensity series, the Android flagship market has been dependent on Qualcomm.

Samsung also has its own foundries for silicon fabrication, which provides the company with the resources to develop Exynos processors, without outsourcing technology from a third party. Hence, Samsung’s Exynos chipsets will always remain a threat to Qualcomm, which helps Samsung to cut better deals for the Snapdragon chipsets on its flagships.

Samsung is expected to continue its Exynos development in the future. It is unlikely that Samsung would give up its Exynos division, in favour of permanently using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipsets on its flagships.