Samsung’s success with the Exynos 2400 application processor (AP) has positioned it as a strong competitor against the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 AP in various benchmark tests. This positive reception suggests that the Exynos line’s reputation has been revitalized, prompting Samsung to maintain the deca-core architecture for the Exynos 2500 chipset.
A leaked slide from last October unveils details about Samsung’s “Dream chip,” or the Exynos 2500 AP, indicating that it will be the first chip manufactured using Samsung Foundry’s second-generation 3nm (3nm GAP/SF3) process. Leveraging Gate-all-around (GAA) transistors, this technology covers all four sides of the channel, minimizing current leaks and enhancing drive current. Samsung’s adoption of GAA provides a slight advantage over TSMC, which will only implement GAA in its 2nm production.
Renowned leaker @OreXda (via SamMobile) shared a slide detailing the Exynos 2500 SoC, revealing a configuration featuring one Cortex-X5 Prime core clocked at 3.2-3.3GHz, three Cortex-A730 Performance CPU cores operating at 2.3GHz-2.5GHz, two additional Cortex-A730 Performance CPU cores at an unspecified lower clock speed, and four Cortex-A520 Efficiency CPU cores.
The primary competitor to the Exynos 2500, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, will utilize Qualcomm’s new Oryon cores. Notably, recent testing of an engineering sample demonstrated impressive performance while running Genshin Impact for 45 minutes at 1080p resolution and 60fps frame rate. Meanwhile, MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 SoC, equipped with three Cortex-X5 cores and five Cortex Performance cores, could emerge as the most potent contender, forsaking low-power Efficiency cores.
Samsung has reason to be optimistic about the benchmark performance of the Exynos 2400 chipset, currently powering the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ in most global markets. Previous iterations of Exynos APs faced criticism for overheating issues. In contrast, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 AP powers the Galaxy S24 Ultra globally and the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ in the U.S. and China.
