Please note that this post is tagged as a rumor .
Samsung Exynos (2026) SoC rumored without AMD graphics
Samsung may have plans to start using their graphics architecture starting from 2026, claims Roland Quandt (WinFuture).
The high-end smartphone maker currently relies on two SoC architectures for its products. Some feature Exynos chips, which were designed by Samsung themselves, while the flagship devices like the S24 Ultra feature Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen3. Since 2022, Samsung has been using AMD graphics licenses for its SoC built-in graphics. According to the latest rumors, this agreement has an uncertain future once the current one expires.
Roland Quandt claims that after 2026, Samsung will launch Exynos SoCs powered by its own GPU architecture. This would still follow the release of Exynos 2400 (RDNA3) and Exynos 2500 (which could use either RDNA3.5 or RDNA4).
Samsung Exynos SoCs (GPU) Rumors
- 2021 Exynos 2100 (S5E9840): Mali G78
- 2022 Exynos 2200 (S5E9925): Xclipse 920 (AMD RDNA2)
- 2024 Exynos 2400 (S5E9945): Xclipse 940 (AMD RDNA3)
- 2025 Exynos 2500 (S5E9955): Xclipse 950 (AMD RDNAx)
- 2026 Exynos 2600: Samsung GPU
Samsung did not reveal its plans for the next-gen Exynos GPUs. AMD has seemingly been happy with the partnership with Samsung, which allowed the RDNA architecture to expand into ultra-low power devices for the first time. However, other smartphone makers and SoC vendors did not follow by making similar agreements with AMD. Companies like MediaTek have chosen NVIDIA GPU and AI technologies for their future devices, primarily for automotive SoCs.
Umm… so there's S5E9945 right? (Exynos 2400)
And then there's S5E9955, which follows after that.
Exynos 2400 has an AMD GPU. The follow-up will have AMD GPU, too, it seems.After that, in 2026, Samsung seems to aim for the release of a next-gen flagship SoC feat it's own GPU.
— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) May 4, 2024
In April 2023, Samsung announced the extension of the GPU licensing agreement, first signed in 2019. Samsung and AMD did not specify how long the new agreement will last, but given that the first one expired after 4 years, this could mean that the new agreement has a similar timeframe. Once expired, Samsung may opt for in-house graphics design instead of relying on AMD licensing.
Source: Roland Quandt via Notebookcheck