Custom Qualcomm chip might keep the Galaxy S27 Ultra Exynos-free

The Exynos 2600 is expected to feature prominently in the Galaxy S26 series, but at least the Galaxy S26 Ultra is likely going to run on Qualcomm's latest flagship chipset.

Amid rumors that Samsung may go Exynos-only for the Galaxy S27 series, the latest whispers suggest that this may not be the case at least for the Galaxy S27 Ultra, as it may use a custom Qualcomm chip.

According to a rumor out of China, the Galaxy S27 may use a “custom-tuned” Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro chip. It further claims that this chip would be manufactured on Samsung's 2nm process. It doesn't mention the Galaxy S27 Ultra by name, but it goes without saying that if such an arrangement is on the cards, the Galaxy S27 Ultra will most certainly be the preferred candidate.

Qualcomm hasn't had its flagship chips made at Samsung for some time now, but recent reports have suggested that it may return to Samsung Foundry. The chances are increasing now Samsung Foundry's yields on the 2nm process have improved. The lack of capacity at TSMC is prompting customers like Qualcomm to go with the only viable alternative in Samsung.

As far as the custom-tuned claim goes, it likely refers to the “for Galaxy” arrangement we've seen in the past. These chips have had slightly higher CPU clock speeds compared to the versions sold by Qualcomm to other device manufacturers. So it's likely that this may be what's being referred to here.

The Galaxy S27 series is still a long way off in the distance and a lot could change between now and then, so best take this rumor with a grain of salt.