Samsung’s Exynos 2400, 2500 and 2600 Set to Power Foldables and Flagships

Samsung’s flagship Exynos processors look all set to make a comeback soon. A new report out of South Korea reaffirms earlier rumors that the company plans to partially equip its upcoming foldable phones and next-gen Galaxy S flagships with Exynos chipsets. Over the coming months, we could see devices powered by the Exynos 2400, Exynos 2500, and Exynos 2600 coming through Samsung’s doors.

Exynos returns to Samsung flagships, starting with the next Flip

There have been a lot of rumors about Samsung shipping the Galaxy Z Flip 7 with the Exynos 2500 processor. This chip has been in development for a long time, but poor 3nm yields delayed its mass production. It looks like the company is finally ready for its public release. According to a Newspim report, the Flip 7 will debut in July, running the Exynos 2500 globally. It would be the first Samsung foldable to use an in-house processor.

Interestingly, the Korean firm doesn’t plan to use the chipset in the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The Fold model will continue to rely on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, which also powers the Galaxy S25 series. It’s unclear if this is a decision based on performance or if Samsung isn’t in a position to produce enough Exynos 2500 chipsets to use in both foldables.

If we are to guess, it might be a mix of both. Samsung Foundry has been struggling with poor yields of its 3nm process, so it likely has limited production capacity for the Exynos 2500. Moreover, the new Exynos chipset cannot match its Snapdragon counterpart’s performance standards. It makes sense for Samsung not to use it in the Fold 7, which has higher performance expectations.

Meanwhile, Samsung is also planning to launch a more affordable foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip FE, which will reportedly use the older Exynos 2400. This model may not go official in July but arrive alongside the Galaxy S25 FE and other products around September or October.

Galaxy S26 series to use dual-sourcing: Snapdragon in the US, Exynos in Europe

Samsung plans a similar chip strategy for the Galaxy S26 series as the S24 series. The 2026 flagships will reportedly have a dual-chipset approach, with the new 2nm Exynos 2600 powering the base S26 and S26+ (if it exists) devices in Europe and select global markets. Meanwhile, Qualcomm’s next-gen Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 will be used in regions like North America, South Korea, China, and Japan.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra will be an exception, though. It is expected to exclusively use the next-gen Snapdragon across all markets, reinforcing its premium positioning. Samsung did the same with the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Since it couldn’t mass produce the Exynos 2500 in time for the Galaxy S25 series, it exclusively used the Snapdragon 8 Elite in the 2025 flagship lineup.

Samsung’s decision to increase Exynos usage isn’t just about product diversity — it’s also about business stabilization and long-term competitiveness. Its semiconductor business has been hit by a lack of flagship SoC orders. By deploying more Exynos chips in its own devices, Samsung aims to secure internal demand and boost fab utilization. This will also validate its advanced process nodes like 3nm and 2nm, potentially attracting more manufacturing contracts.