Overview
- Qualcomm and Samsung confirmed Snapdragon chips will power nearly all new Galaxy devices, including the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Z Fold8 models, the Snapdragon Wear Elite for the Galaxy Watch9 and Watch Ultra2, and the Snapdragon AR1 Gen1 for Samsung’s new smart glasses.
- The Wear Elite placement marks the first time Samsung has used a Snapdragon platform in its smartwatches, a step that brings watches into the same chip family as flagship phones for the first time.
- Some mid‑range and variant models will still use Samsung’s Exynos chips in select markets, with the Z Flip 8 reported to keep an Exynos 2600 option outside China and the U.S.
- The tie-up deepens commercial and manufacturing links between the firms, highlighted by Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon’s appearance at Galaxy Unpacked and Qualcomm’s use of Samsung Electro‑Mechanics substrates, while investors have shown only modest market moves ahead of Samsung’s upcoming earnings.
- The change continues a longer shift away from Samsung’s regional Exynos strategy toward a single, Snapdragon‑based platform to deliver consistent on‑device AI and cross‑device experiences and to strengthen Qualcomm’s recurring chip revenue.