Samsung is no stranger to equipping its Galaxy smartphones with different chipsets in different regions, but the company has traditionally stuck to a two-chipset approach on occasions where it’s been unable to offer the same chips across the board (see the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S24 lines).
With the Samsung Galaxy S25 line, however, Samsung is reportedly considering adding a third chipset into the mix. Specifically, the smartphone giant could use a MediaTek chip – presumably the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 – in certain regions, owing to alleged production issues with its own Exynos 2500.
This tip comes from Korean news outlet FNN (via Digital Trends), and builds on earlier reports claiming that Samsung is no longer on track to manufacture enough Exynos 2500 chipsets in time for the Galaxy S25’s assumed January launch. It was previously thought that Samsung might be forced to use Qualcomm’s as-yet-unannounced Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset in every Galaxy S25 model to abate these production concerns, but FNN reports that the high price of that particular chipset could see Samsung turning to MediaTek for help.
We’d take this rumor with a hefty pinch of salt, not least because seasoned Samsung tipster Ming-Chi Kuo recently claimed that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will “likely” be used in every Galaxy S25 model globally. That said, the situation may have changed for Samsung in the few weeks since Kuo made that claim.
What’s more, Samsung was already rumoured to be equipping its upcoming Galaxy Tab S10 Plus tablet with the MediaTek Dimensity 9300 Plus chipset, so it wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility for the company to do the same with the Galaxy S25 in certain regions.
According to a report by South Korean media FNN, Samsung's Exynos 2500 chip may not meet production requirements due to its low yield. Therefore, Samsung may cooperate with MediaTek to customize chips for Galaxy S25 and S25+smartphones. Although this news lacks some evidence,…June 27, 2024
As for what those regions will be, we suspect that Samsung will use a mix of MediaTek and Exynos chipsets in Galaxy S25 models offered across Europe, India and South Korea (if indeed FNN’s report turns out to be accurate).
As with the Samsung Galaxy S24 line, the US market will likely remain Qualcomm-exclusive across the board, and it’s also worth noting that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, specifically, will surely be offered with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 in every region.
For US readers, then – or indeed anyone who’s planning on picking up the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra – this news should be of little consequence. But if you live outside of the US and are waiting patiently for the standard Galaxy S25 or Galaxy S25 Plus, it’s worth keeping tabs on this rumor if you’re overly concerned about the chipset set to power your future smartphone.
