Production-ready samples expected by midyear as Samsung targets larger Exynos share in Galaxy S27
Samsung Electronics is accelerating development of its next-generation mobile processor, with production-ready samples of the Exynos 2700 expected by midyear. This move signals Samsung’s ambition to increase the adoption of its in-house Exynos chips in future Galaxy smartphones, reducing its reliance on Qualcomm.
Industry sources indicate that Samsung aims to finalize production-ready Exynos 2700 samples between May and June. The Exynos 2700 is widely anticipated to power a substantial portion of the Samsung Galaxy S27 series, slated for release in early 2027.
Mobile application processors (APs) serve as the primary computing component in smartphones, representing a significant portion of the manufacturing cost for flagship devices, typically ranging from 15 to 30 percent. At Samsung, the System LSI division designs these chips, while the foundry unit handles manufacturing. The chips are then supplied to the Mobile eXperience (MX) business for use in Galaxy devices.
This accelerated timeline reflects Samsung’s determination to regain momentum after facing challenges with its Exynos chip program. The Exynos 2300 was ultimately shelved due to performance issues. Furthermore, delays in the Exynos 2500 development compelled Samsung to utilize Qualcomm processors exclusively in its entire 2025 Galaxy S25 and Z Fold 7 lineups.
Samsung seeks to cut Qualcomm reliance
Samsung made a comeback this year with the Exynos 2600, which was integrated into the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus models launched last week in select markets, including South Korea and parts of Europe.
However, the premium Galaxy S26 Ultra exclusively features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 across all regions.
Benchmark tests have revealed largely comparable performance between the Exynos 2600 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Qualcomm generally leads in single-core processing, while Samsung’s Exynos chip remains competitive in multi-core performance, graphics processing, and AI-related tasks.
According to industry sources, the Exynos 2700 design was finalized in late 2025 and has since entered the sample production phase. This allows engineers to thoroughly assess performance and manufacturing stability before commencing full-scale production.
The Exynos 2700 processor will be fabricated using Samsung’s second-generation 2-nanometer process, known internally as SF2P. This process is projected to provide improved yields and enhanced performance compared to the first-generation node used in the Exynos 2600. Samsung is also focusing on refining its chip packaging technology to address heat management, which has been a recurring challenge for previous Exynos designs. The Exynos 2600 incorporated a Heat Path Block technique to efficiently dissipate heat away from the processor. The Exynos 2700 is expected to further improve upon this approach.
Exynos in 50% of Galaxy S27, if yields hold
Kiwoom Securities analyst Park Yu-ak predicts that the Exynos 2700 could power approximately 50 percent of Galaxy S27 devices, nearly double the estimated 25 percent Exynos share in the current Galaxy S26 series. He attributes this projection to improved foundry yields, stronger benchmark results, and Samsung’s increasing pressure to reduce component costs.
The financial implications are significant. Industry data indicates that Samsung spent roughly 11 trillion won ($7.5 billion) on procuring external mobile processors in the first three quarters of 2025 alone. The company also reportedly invested approximately $400 million to secure Qualcomm chips for the Galaxy S25 series after internal Exynos development fell behind schedule.
Analyst Park also forecasts that if Exynos 2700 production ramps up as planned, Samsung’s foundry and chip design divisions, which have been experiencing combined losses since early 2023, could potentially return to profitability by the fourth quarter of this year.
The effort to reduce reliance on Qualcomm extends beyond the Exynos 2700. Moon Sung-hoon, vice president of hardware at Samsung’s MX division, recently stated that the company ultimately aims to power all Galaxy devices with Exynos processors, although he acknowledged that this transition will require a “mid- to long-term” strategic plan.
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