Samsung may outsource Exynos chip production to TSMC amid yield struggles, according to a recent rumor. A well-known leaker and a former Qualcomm employee, now an industry analyst, have both hinted at this possibility.
This potential shift could affect future Exynos models. However, the upcoming Exynos 2500 is still on track, despite reported production issues.
TSMC already manufactures rival chips, such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite. It’s important to note that Samsung would still design the Exynos chips. The company would handle research, development, and distribution, while TSMC would only be responsible for manufacturing.
The fate of the Exynos 2500 remains unclear as a recent rumor has pointed out that all Galaxy S25 models will exclusively feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite. But then again, we heard these rumors about the Galaxy S24 as well but we still have Exynos versions of the S24 and S24+ while the S24 FE exclusively comes in an Exynos 2400e model.
Only the Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with a single Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 variant and perhaps the S25 series will go the same route: Exynos variants for the standard and Plus model while the Ultra remains exclusively on Qualcomm’s side. However, decisions tend to change from generation to generation in the mobile industry, so we wouldn’t hold our breath.
We expect to hear more about the Galaxy S25 series as 2025 draws near.