Exynos returns to Galaxy S24 as Samsung ditches Snapdragon-only after just one year

Ben Schoon | Jan 17 2024 - 11:05 am PT

After years of customer complaints about its Exynos chips, Samsung went all-in on Qualcomm Snapdragon with last year’s Galaxy S23 series globally. But, just a year later, Exynos is back in the Galaxy S24 series.

For years, Samsung used Exynos chips in its flagship smartphones in specific regions. While the US, Korea, and select other markets would get Snapdragon, many other countries, especially those in Europe, would get Exynos. On paper, that wasn’t a very big deal as the chips were comparable. But time after time, issues with heat, cellular signal, and/or random software problems would hurt the experience. It got to the point that Galaxy owners petitioned Samsung to ditch Exynos.

A deal signed with Qualcomm last year promised to bring Snapdragon chips to all global releases of the Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra, and it’s a promise that was fulfilled. A special “Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy” was used that brought a little more power and kept the chip super efficient on battery life.

But now, Exynos is back.

In all regions outside of the United States, the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ will be using the Exynos 2400. In the US, they’ll be using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The Galaxy S24 Ultra, meanwhile, will use “Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy” globally.

Why the change?

In a media briefing, Samsung explained that switching to Exynos allowed for “a complete supply chain to bring these devices around the globe.” It’s unclear exactly what this means, but Samsung also mentioned that it will have no effect on features. All of the AI features that work on-device will still work on Exynos variants, but it remains to be seen if there will be any other changes of differences.

Pricing also remains the same on Exynos variants (varying by country, of course).

*Galaxy S24 Ultra gets a special Snapdragon chip*

The Samsung Galaxy S24 series is available for pre-order now, starting at $799. Pre-orders come with doubled storage, boosted trade-ins up to $750, and bonus credit up to $150.

You can get an additional $50 off your purchase on Samsung.com using our exclusive links above.