Samsung Gears up to Launch Flagship Phones with Exynos Chips in the US

In just over a week, Samsung will take the wraps off three new foldables. Joining the regular Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 is the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, the company’s first-ever Fan Edition foldable. And that’s not the only first — Samsung is also introducing Exynos chips to its foldable lineup, including in the US, a region that has traditionally received only Snapdragon-powered Galaxy flagships.

Both new Flip models will use Exynos chips in the US

In a surprise move, Samsung is equipping both of its new Flip models with its in-house silicon. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 will run on the freshly announced Exynos 2500, while the more budget-friendly Flip 7 FE is expected to pack the previous-gen Exynos 2400, the same chip found in the Galaxy S24 phones in some regions. These are the first Samsung foldables to feature Exynos chips.

Moreover, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Flip 7 FE will be the first Samsung flagships in years to arrive with Exynos chips in the US, unless we consider the Galaxy S24 FE a flagship — the $649-priced phone runs Exynos 2400e globally. The Korean firm used the Exynos 2400 in the Galaxy S24 and S24+ in some markets, including Europe, but not the US, where the phones featured Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

While there was once a significant performance gap between competing Exynos and Snapdragon chips, that gap has narrowed considerably in recent years. The Exynos 2500, which debuts with the Flip 7, appears to be a meaningful upgrade over its predecessor. The Snapdragon 8 Elite still holds a performance edge, but Samsung’s latest flagship offering is shaping up to be a strong and capable contender in its own right.

Interestingly, Samsung may have chosen the Exynos 2500 over the more powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite for the Galaxy Z Flip 7 partly due to thermal considerations — the latter is known to run hot, which isn’t ideal in the compact chassis of a clamshell foldable. The price factor may have played a bigger role in this decision, though. Exynos chips cost Samsung less than Snapdragons.

Fold 7 still runs a Snapdragon processor

If you’re still not confident about Samsung’s flagship Exynos processor, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is sticking with Qualcomm. It will run the Snapdragon 8 Elite “for Galaxy”, an overclocked variant optimized specifically for Samsung devices. The Galaxy S25 series uses the same Qualcomm processor. Stay tuned for the official launch of the Fold 7, Flip 7, and Flip 7 FE on July 9.

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