Sigh of relief: Snapdragon for both Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 globally, new report corroborates

Earlier this month, we heard that the clamshell foldable, Galaxy Z Flip 6, might come with Snapdragon chip globally (something that contradicted earlier rumors about an Exynos variant). Now, reputable Korean news outlet The Elec corroborates the Snapdragon chip for the Flip 6, and also for the Fold 6. This comes as great news for people who didn’t exactly have the best experience with Samsung’s Exynos chips. The news outlet says that the Fold 6 and Flip 6 will come with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 globally, which is the same chipset that powers the beasty Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Since Samsung started making foldables back in 2019, they have always featured a Snapdragon chip globally, despite the company making Exynos variants for its S series. However, in March we heard the concerning rumor that at least the Flip might come with Exynos 2400.

Historically, Exynos chips have been behind Qualcomm’s flagship processors in terms of performance. That created a rather uneven field for buyers in Europe and around the world (Snapdragon chips were used in the U.S.)

But now with the most recent report from The Elec, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. No Exynos chips on the foldables this year. Although this is still a leak and not official information, I reckon that we might as well take it for truth given the fact that many things about the foldables have leaked already.

The news outlet also says that the Fold and Flip will come with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 ‘For Galaxy’ version. This version has a slightly overclocked CPU and is a result of a partnership between Samsung and Qualcomm that started last year.

However, the report says Samsung’s decision to not use Exynos isn’t due to performance. It turns out Samsung’s semiconductor division has managed to squeeze more performance from the Exynos, and the 2400 is reported closer to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in every aspect. Well, there can still be a gap though.

According to the report, the gap isn’t the reason for the decision. In fact, it seems that the foldables were always designed with Snapdragon in mind, and using an Exynos chip would increase the production cost. Of course, Samsung wounldn’t want to increase the costs, as making foldables is already quite expensive.

Today’s great news doesn’t eliminate the possibility of an Exynos version of future foldables though. However, this could only happen if the Z-models get as popular as the S series. Otherwise, the dual-chip strategy won’t be profitable for Samsung.

The Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 are expected to be unveiled at the beginning of July. Samsung hasn’t given an official date yet, but rumors and leaks point to July 10 or 11.