Next-gen Snapdragon could make the Galaxy S27 Ultra even more expensive

Prices of high-end smartphone chips have risen steadily over the past few years. This increase is forcing smartphone brands to either raise device prices or accept lower profit margins. Qualcomm’s next-generation flagship Snapdragon chip is rumored to be extremely expensive, and it could make the Galaxy S27 Ultra even more costly.

Tipster Digital Chat Station claims that Qualcomm’s next flagship Snapdragon lineup may have two models: the SM8950 and the SM8975. The SM8950 could be the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, while the SM8975 may be the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro. Both chips are reportedly fabricated on TSMC’s second-generation 2nm process node (N2P).

The Galaxy S27 Ultra could use a version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro fabricated on Samsung Foundry’s second-generation 2nm process (SF2P).

Both upcoming chips are rumored to use an octa-core CPU with a 2 + 3 + 3 core configuration. The SM8950, the less powerful of the two, is expected to feature LPDDR5X memory, less cache memory, and a trimmed-down version of the best Adreno GPU. The SM8975 is said to include LPDDR6 memory, more cache memory, and a full-fledged version of the Adreno GPU.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro reportedly delivers impressive performance but comes with a significantly higher price. Its pricing could push smartphone brands to use the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 in their base, ‘Plus,' and ‘Pro' high-end phones, while reserving the Gen 6 Pro variant for ‘Ultra' devices. Moreover, brands could be forced to increase the prices of their Ultra phones.

The expected price increase likely stems from two main factors: the rising cost of advanced semiconductor chip manufacturing process and the ongoing shortage of memory (RAM) chips.

Besides the newer chip with a better cooling solution, the Galaxy S27 series is expected to feature variable aperture and a newer sensor for the primary camera and a better sensor for the ultrawide camera. Read our Galaxy S27 Ultra wishlist by clicking here.