Potential Use of Exynos Chip in Flip 7: A Decision with Mixed Feelings
Most folks don't worry much about the chips inside their phones, but for tech heads, the Exynos name from Samsung has often meant 'not quite as good' compared to Qualcomm's Snapdragon – until now. The latest buzz surrounding the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 7 has folks talking, and this time, it's about Samsung's own Exynos 2500.
If the rumors are true, the Z Flip 7 could be packing the Exynos 2500, raising concerns about its performance in comparison to the Snapdragon 8 Elite, which will allegedly power Samsung's flagships like the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and also the Fold 7.
Let's break it down:
CPU
Samsung's Exynos 2500 sports a 3.3GHz Cortex-X925 prime core, accompanied by 10 ARM Cortex cores — with one Cortex-X5, two Cortex-A725 cores clocked at 2.74 GHz, five Cortex-A725 cores running at 2.36 GHz, and two Cortex A520 at 1.8 GHz.
On the other hand, the Snapdragon 8 Elite boasts second-gen Oryon cores, showing improvements of 25% over its predecessor. Early tests suggest CPU clocks above 5GHz for the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 variant.
GPU
The Exynos 2500 relies on the Samsung Xclipse 950 GPU, while the Snapdragon 8 Elite features an Adreno 840 GPU with an enhanced 16MB cache, providing about 30% more GPU power.
Benchmark Scores
Benchmark scores put the Exynos 2500 anywhere from 2,300-2,356 in single-core, and about 8,062-8,076 in multi-core Geekbench 6 tests. The Snapdragon 8 Elite, meanwhile, scores approximately 2,883 single-core and 9,518 multi-core on Geekbench 6.
A Tight Race
In everyday use, you may not notice a significant difference between the two, but in demanding tasks and heavy apps, the Snapdragon 8 Elite edge out with better performance and overall snappiness.
The new Exynos 2500 has shown solid growth, but for a premium foldable device, might not be enough for some price-conscious buyers, especially when Snapdragon-powered variants of the same device will likely offer superior performance.
However, keep in mind that few people will be pushing these chips to their limits, so most would be just fine with a midrange phone that packs less potent chips.
In our next article, we'll dive deeper into the unique features and manufacturing processes employed by these chips, and discuss their broader implications on Samsung's strategy and the mobile market.
Sources:
- Exynos 2500 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Go Head-to-Head: A Comprehensive Comparison
- Samsung Exynos 2500 Coming to the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and More
- Benchmark Scores for Exynos 2500 and Snapdragon 8 Elite
- Weighing the Galaxy Z Flip 7's Exynos 2500 Against the Snapdragon 8 Elite
Gamers and tech enthusiasts may find the performance of Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 7 with the Exynos 2500 chip less satisfactory when compared to the Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered Galaxy S25 Ultra and Fold 7, particularly in demanding tasks and heavy applications, given the higher benchmark scores of the Snapdragon 8 Elite in Geekbench 6 tests.
Despite the improvement shown by the Exynos 2500, it might not meet the expectations of price-conscious consumers who desire superior performance for a premium foldable device like the Galaxy Z Flip 7, especially when the Snapdragon-powered variants of the same device are available.
