What you need to know
- Samsung's Galaxy S25 series could launch with a higher starting price in 2025 due to the more expensive Oryon CPU cores on the next-gen Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip.
- Qualcomm is aiming for "astonishing levels of performance" with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, which could also lead to a higher price tag.
- Samsung may use its homegrown Exynos 2400 chip on the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ in most markets to keep costs down.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 series could be a lot more expensive because Qualcomm's new PC-grade CPU cores are coming to the chip giant's mobile processor next year.
Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite PC chip is a beast, promising to be twice as fast as the latest Intel and AMD PC chips thanks to its Oryon CPU core. But in 2024, Qualcomm is bringing these same CPU cores to its Snapdragon mobile chips, particularly the next-generation Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 SoC.
Last week, Qualcomm announced its new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which will power many of the top Android phones next year, including the Samsung Galaxy S24. The good news is that the chip doesn't seem to be much more expensive than its predecessor.
However, the Galaxy S25 lineup in 2025 could cost more than the Galaxy S24, thanks to pricier chip components (via SamMobile). This is because smartphones with the next-generation Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip will come out in 2025. And this chip could be Qualcomm's most expensive one yet.
Qualcomm SVP Chris Patrick claimed that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will see a price increase due to its "astonishing levels of performance." Building custom CPU cores is not cheap, but Qualcomm says it's worth it to strike the perfect balance between power, performance, and price.
It's not clear how much more this chipset will cost, but it's possible that consumers will have to pay more for phones with it. That means that the Galaxy S25, which is expected to launch in 2025 with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 (in some regions), will have a higher starting price.
Of course, Samsung could try to offset the cost of these new CPU cores by using cheaper components elsewhere in the phone. But given the rising cost of chipsets and other components, it's more likely that Samsung will simply pass on the higher cost to consumers.
That's a bummer, because a lot of phones other than the Galaxy S25 will probably use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, including the Galaxy Z Flip 7, Galaxy Z Fold 7, OnePlus 13, and Xiaomi 15 line.
