Samsung may make major changes to the follow-up to its Galaxy Z Flip 6 folding flip phone next year, with new reports claiming that the Korean company plans to use its own Exynos silicon instead of the Qualcomm chipset used in the current model ...

Until now, Samsung has used only high-end Qualcomm Snapdragon SoCs in its foldable phones worldwide. However, Korean publication Chosun (via 9to5 Google) claims that Samsung will use the Exynos 2500 in the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Flip FE. The latter device will be a low-cost addition to Samsung's foldable phone lineup.

This is in contrast to the Galaxy Z Flip 6, which was introduced earlier this year and is currently powered by Qualcomm's top-of-the-line chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

Reports that Samsung is struggling to produce enough next-generation Exynos chips have been heard numerous times this year, with Chosun's report claiming that the company has finally figured out the 3nm process and has successfully “stabilized 3nm manufacturing yields” at its chip manufacturing facilities

“It's true that since we first applied the gate-all-around (GAA) process in our second-generation 3nm foundry process, we have had difficulties with mass production,” an unnamed Samsung official told Chosun. 'Now that the process has stabilized, it's only a matter of time before they start mass production.'

They added that there was also thought to be an Exynos 2500 chip in the Galaxy S25 series, rumored to be coming next month. However, from the report, it appears that the Exynos chips will not be available in quantity in time for the early 2025 launch. However, it “would be possible” to include them in the premium models of the Z flip, which tend to appear later this year.

Samsung is fighting to rebuild its foundry business this year, and it is assumed that its desire to release Exynos chips is to reduce its reliance on Qualcomm chips. The new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip in next year's Galaxy S25 lineup should be 20% to 30% more expensive than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 system-on-chip.

The Chosun report does not indicate whether this Exynos setup is for the entire world or just certain regions. In previous years, Samsung has used Snapdragon chips in phones launched in some regions of the world, while launching Exynos-powered phones in other regions. In fact, the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus launched earlier this year did just that.

We have heard rumors that Samsung may raise the price of its flagship Galaxy S25 line in its home country of South Korea, but it is unclear if that would mean a price increase in other parts of the world.