Qualcomm has reportedly increased the cost of its Snapdragon 8 Elite application processor (AP) to as high as $190 per unit, which will be integral to the performance of the
In a shift from its usual practice of relying primarily on its own Exynos 2500 chipset, Samsung plans to utilize the Snapdragon 8 Elite AP across its entire Galaxy S25 lineup this year, which has raised concerns about unavoidable price increases.
With anticipation building for the Galaxy S25 series, the integration of the Qualcomm chip presents a solid performance enhancement. The Snapdragon 8 Elite AP features two Prime Cores operating at an impressive clock speed of 4.32GHz and six Performance Cores reaching speeds of 3.53GHz. Unlike some competing chips, this arrangement notably excludes efficiency cores, following MediaTek's successful design choices with its Dimensity 9300 and 9400.
Looking ahead, Samsung will also face challenging pricing decisions for the Galaxy S26 series in 2026, particularly if the Exynos 2600 encounters similar production difficulties. With concerns about low production yields at Samsung Foundry, the company is keen to avoid relying on TSMC once more for chip production. This issue is not new, as Qualcomm previously had to switch production of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 to TSMC due to yield problems at Samsung's 4nm node.
As the stakes rise, Samsung Foundry is under pressure to resolve its yield challenges swiftly to maintain competitiveness in the high-end smartphone market.
