Exynos 2500 Official: Samsung’s First 3nm Smartphone Chip Arrives with AI and Gaming Power

Samsung has officially launched the Exynos 2500, its first 3nm smartphone processor. The company says the chip would redefine the smartphone experience through cutting-edge on-device AI, console-class graphics, and ultra-efficient 3nm GAA process technology. Built for the era of AI-powered mobility, this deca-core SoC is touted to deliver unprecedented levels of intelligence, performance, and energy efficiency. It may debut next month with the Galaxy Z Flip 7.

Exynos 2500 goes official ahead of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 launch

Samsung upgraded to the GAA (Gate-All-Around) process technology for its 3nm chips and faced a lot of challenges. The Exynos 2500 is the first “real” product manufactured on its most advanced process node — the Exynos W1000 powering the Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch Ultra is also a 3nm SoC (system on chip). It arrives several months later than the expected timeline.

At the core of the Exynos 2500 is a deca-core CPU in a 1+7+2 arrangement. Arm’s Cortex-X925 “big” core leads the line, running at a peak frequency of 3.3GHz. It is supported by two Cortex-A725 middle cores at 2.74GHz, five more Cortex-A725 middle cores at 2.36GHz, and two Cortex-A520 small cores at 1.8GHz. Samsung claims a 15% improvement in performance over the Exynos 2400.

This chip’s dramatically enhanced AI engine is capable of up to 59 trillion operations per second (TOPS) — a 39% boost over its predecessor. Equipped with a dual-cluster NPU featuring 24K MAC (Multiply-Accumulate) units, this chip accelerates tasks like voice transcription, real-time translation, and text refinement without sending data to the cloud.

Samsung’s on-device AI approach boosts both privacy and performance, offering a responsive, secure user experience. It also improves AI workloads like MobileBERT inference by up to 90%, paving the way for smoother generative AI features such as background expansion, subject removal, and advanced content editing in photos and videos.

Next-level smartphone photography and gaming unlocked

For content creators and photography enthusiasts, the Exynos 2500 raises the bar with support for cameras up to 320MP and 8K video recording at 30fps. Samsung’s upgraded Image Signal Processor (ISP) brings AI-based image processing with features like multi-layer noise reduction (MLNR), dynamic range compression (DRC), and enhanced temporal and spatial noise reduction. This results in clearer, more vibrant images, whether you’re filming in low light or editing creative shots using generative AI.

Gamers will appreciate the Xclipse 950 GPU, based on AMD’s RDNA 3 architecture. With a new dual-shader engine design, ray tracing acceleration, and 28% higher FPS with ray tracing enabled, mobile gaming now comes closer than ever to console-level visual fidelity. Hardware-accelerated ray tracing, higher render throughput, and optimized frame pacing ensure ultra-smooth gameplay with lifelike lighting and shadows.

Samsung’s Exynos 2500 also brings massive improvements in power efficiency and thermal performance. It uses Fan-Out Wafer Level Packaging (FOWLP) to reduce chip thickness and improve heat dissipation. Whether you’re multitasking, launching apps, or gaming, the Exynos 2500 ensures fast and efficient operation. It boasts LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage support.

Connectivity is another major focus, with Samsung touting 5G speeds of up to 9.6 Gbps (Sub-6GHz) and 12.1 Gbps (mmWave). The chip supports non-terrestrial networks (NTN) for satellite communications. It also boasts Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and GNSS for enhanced global navigation accuracy. Samsung may reveal more at its Unpacked event next month, where it will launch the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7.