Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 8 will reportedly ship with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 alongside an Exynos 2600 variant, ending the Exynos-only chip strategy Samsung introduced with last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 7.
A one-year Exynos experiment
Samsung went all-in on Exynos for the Z Flip 7 last year, dropping Snapdragon from its flip phone lineup for the first time. According to a fresh leak from tipster Lanzuk on Naver, the company is expected to switch back to a Qualcomm chip, at least in some regions.
The reversal is reportedly cost-driven, with the leak saying that the Exynos 2600 is expensive to produce, while Qualcomm reportedly offered Samsung a favorable price on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for the Flip 8. As a result, Samsung is expected to take the split-chip approach, which it has used on its Galaxy S series flagships for years, where Snapdragon variants ship in markets like the US, and Exynos goes to Europe and elsewhere. The exact regional breakdown for the Flip 8 is not yet known.
What else to expect
The chip change is among the few notable changes expected from a phone that has shaped up as a modest refresh in leaks so far. Earlier Galaxy Z Flip 8 leaks point to a slightly thinner folded profile thanks to a redesigned hinge, while the battery capacity and cameras are expected to stay the same as on the Flip 7. Samsung has not confirmed any specs for the device, but more details are expected to surface in the weeks leading up to the rumored late July launch.
The return of a Snapdragon variant could give buyers in the US at least some reason to look forward to the Galaxy Z Flip 8. However, Samsung will need to deliver more than a chip swap to move the needle on a device that looks, so far, like a safe bet on incremental progress.