It seems the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra could mark a big change in the Korean tech giant’s chipset traditions. For the longest time, Samsung has used a combination of its own Exynos processors and Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon chips in its premium Android cell phone series, leading to industry-leading performance ratings. However, it’s looking like a very different picture in 2025.
For the upcoming Galaxy S25 series, some industry whispers earlier this year suggested an all-Qualcomm lineup. However, a new rumor has surfaced, and it seems MediaTek chips are in the mix, too. That’s a bit of a concern, given that more than half of our picks for the best gaming phones have Snapdragon chipsets, and we know from first-hand experience with devices like the OnePlus 12R and Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro that the chip brand always delivers.
The new rumor comes from an unusual source, Google’s DeepMind website, via Notebook Check. A blog post describing how Google’s AI research has affected chip design accidentally revealed that Samsung could utilize the Dimensity 9400 in its upcoming Galaxy S25 phones. The post reads, “MediaTek, one of the top chip design companies in the world, extended AlphaChip to accelerate development of their most advanced chips – like the Dimensity Flagship 5G used in Samsung mobile phones.”
Samsung uses MediaTek chips in some of its mid-ranger devices, but it has never equipped a Dimensity chip to one of its flagship phones, so this would be a potentially risky move from the cell phone brand. To compound the suspicion, there are plenty of rumors circulating about Samsung’s poor Exynos 2500 yields, plus a 20% rise in cost for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 compared to its predecessor. Reports dating back to June suggested that Samsung was considering cooperation with MediaTek to close the gap. That’s now looking more likely than ever.
Despite our concerns, there’s still some hope for mobile gaming Samsung fans. The MediaTek Dimensity 9300, found in phones like the Xiaomi 14T, is a solid performer, and it stands to reason that the 9400 will be even better, even if it doesn’t quite live up to the benchmark scores of the next Snapdragon processor. Whatever happens, we’ll find out for sure when the S25 Ultra launches, which we expect to happen in January 2025. For now, though, check out what makes the brand’s current crop of devices so special with our guide to the best Samsung phones across a range of budgets.
