A rumor was doing the rounds earlier, claiming that Samsung’s poor 3nm yields meant that the Exynos 2500 would not ship in time, and the company would be forced to launch its Galaxy S25 series exclusively using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. However, shortly after, it was stated that the Korean giant might use an unnamed MediaTek chipset in one of its flagship models next year, though the exact details were not provided. Based on the latest report, the upcoming Dimensity 9400 could make an entry next year, potentially setting up a meaningful partnership between Samsung and MediaTek.
Dimensity 9400 could be used in the base Galaxy S25, even though the SoC is said to be mass produced on the same manufacturing process as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4
Samsung has previously been reported to switch to the Dimensity 9300+ for its upcoming Galaxy Tab S10 Plus due to the gradual increase of Qualcomm’s chipset prices, making it increasingly difficult for the Korean technology behemoth to rake in those profits. According to TrendForce, the company is said to employ the more advanced Dimensity 9400 in at least one of the Galaxy S25 models, though the report did not specify which one. Our gut tells us it will be the base version, with the Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra getting treated to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 in some regions.
Since the components cost to make the Galaxy S25 is already pretty low, using the Dimensity 9400 could further reduce that bill. The biggest advantage to switching to MediaTek’s upcoming flagship SoC is that Samsung will still have access to silicon that is said to be mass produced on TSMC’s cutting-edge 3nm ‘N3E’ process, the same one used for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 and the smartphone maker will have the opportunity to reduce its chipset expenditure. Theoretically, the Dimensity 9400 should be equal to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 in performance, but with the latter transitioning to its custom Oryon cores, we could see another tale unravel.
For MediaTek, it is the chance of a lifetime to form an alliance with Samsung. To sweeten the deal, the Taiwanese fabless semiconductor manufacturer could provide its Dimensity 9400 shipments at a cheaper price to help get things moving. From a business perspective, Samsung can heavily reduce its chip expenses and extreme dependence on Qualcomm by introducing a second player to its supply chain, but we will have to see if the deal actually materializes.
News Source: TrendForce
