Samsung’s US fans may be losing the Snapdragon advantage

For years, Samsung fans in the US who bought flagship Galaxy smartphones got a better deal. While those flagships were often stuck with Samsung's in-house Exynos chips in other countries, the US versions came with Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors, which are usually faster, more efficient, and just more impressive overall.

But that seems to be changing. In 2024, Samsung launched the Galaxy S24 FE with an Exynos chip everywhere, including the USA. At the time, everyone assumed it was a one-off. But it's happening again: the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is more or less confirmed to use the Exynos 2500 in all markets.

That makes it two years in a row. And while nothing is official yet about Samsung's long-term strategy, it's hard to ignore the signs. The long-standing advantage that US fans have enjoyed might be going away for good.

To be fair, Samsung might have good reasons for this decision. As I have written before, the newest Snapdragon chip is really powerful. And it's not a good fit for devices like the Galaxy Z Flip 7, which are super thin and don't have a lot of space for effective heat dissipation.

Having Exynos in the mix could also prevent chip prices from spiralling out of control. Qualcomm has been the undisputed king in the chipset race for a bit too long, and as we all know, a lack of strong competition rarely works out well for the consumer.

But that doesn't mean everyone will be happy about it. In the US, fans could always count on getting the best possible chip. It made them feel like they were getting better bang for their buck compared to buyers in other markets. That confidence and privilege now seems to be going away.

And that will understandably upset some folks. Exynos' reputation has not exactly been stellar. There is no certainty that a new chip will be free of any issues or match the same high standard of quality that Qualcomm has set over the years.

Last year's Exynos 2400 was an excellent chip, but it will take a few consecutive wins for Samsung to shed the baggage and get to a point where hearing about an Exynos chip doesn't instantly raise concerns in people's minds.

For now, US customers are facing a new reality. Samsung might be moving towards a future where a Snapdragon chip inside every flagship Galaxy phone sold in the country is no longer guaranteed. It doesn't mean the phones will be worse. But it does suggest that the playing field is being levelled for Samsung fans across the globe.