Samsung ditches exynos for snapdragon, mediatek in budget phones
South Korean tech giant Samsung is making a significant shift in its budget smartphone lineup. According to a recent report, the company will abandon its in-house Exynos chipsets in favor of Qualcomm Snapdragon and MediaTek silicon for its upcoming affordable devices.
Galaxy a18 to feature snapdragon and mediatek processors
The move is believed to be a strategic response to the escalating global cost of components. Samsung's budget series, particularly the Galaxy A-series, has emerged as a major revenue driver for the company. The Galaxy A17 was the world's best-selling Android phone in several quarters last year, even outperforming more expensive models in Samsung's lineup.
As per the report from ZDNet Korea, the Galaxy A18 will come in two hardware variants. The 4G model will be powered by a MediaTek chipset, while the 5G variant will feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. This split strategy mirrors Samsung's approach with its flagship Galaxy S series, which uses Qualcomm chips in North America, China, and Japan, while the rest of the world gets Exynos-equipped models.
Given Samsung's past strategy, it is likely that the Snapdragon-equipped Galaxy A18 5G will debut in North America. This change could bring a noticeable boost in performance for budget-conscious consumers, as Qualcomm's chips are generally considered more efficient and powerful compared to Exynos processors.
Production and pricing details unclear
Samsung plans to begin mass production of the 4G Galaxy A18 in August, with a monthly target of 100,000 units in the first month, ramping up to 2.4 million and 2.5 million units in September and October, respectively. The exact launch timeline for the 5G variant remains unclear, as it depends on Qualcomm's manufacturing schedule.
As for pricing, there is no concrete information yet. However, if Samsung can maintain the affordability of its budget offerings, the Galaxy A18 could generate substantial revenue for the company, given the aggressive production numbers.
Implications for samsung's mid-range strategy
The shift away from Exynos on budget Samsung phones might be just the beginning. With the Galaxy S26 series still following the split strategy of Exynos in some markets and Qualcomm in others, there is a possibility that we could see a similar change in the upper echelons of Samsung's product lineup in the future.