Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra May Get Exynos 2nm Chip, But S26 Ultra To Stick With Snapdragon: Report

Samsung could bring its in-house Exynos processor back to the Galaxy S Ultra lineup as early as 2027, with the Galaxy S27 Ultra potentially becoming the first top-tier model in years to ship with a cutting-edge 2nm Exynos chip, according to a new report.

After relying almost exclusively on Qualcomm Snapdragon chips for recent Ultra flagships, Samsung appears ready to reclaim its premium segment once its 2nm manufacturing process matures. 

Industry sources cited by Yonhap News Agency and Counterpoint Research indicate that Samsung’s 2nm yields are on track for an improvement by late 2026, making an Exynos-powered Galaxy S27 series feasible across the entire lineup, including the Ultra.

As per the report, key projections for Samsung’s 2nm process include:

• Monthly production capacity expected to jump 163% from around 8,000 wafers in 2024 to almost 21,000 wafers by the end of 2026.

• Yield rates reaching levels suitable for high-volume flagship production.

• New fabrication lines, including the Texas plant, coming online to support the ramp-up.

In contrast, the upcoming Galaxy S26 series (including the S26 Ultra) will reportedly stick with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 across the board, with Qualcomm supplying 70–75% of all chips for the family. Current 2nm yields are still considered too low, and a noticeable performance/efficiency gap with Snapdragon remains.

The shift in 2027 would mark a major strategic reversal for Samsung, allowing it to reduce dependence on Qualcomm, improve margins, and rebuild confidence in Samsung Foundry after setbacks like poor 3nm yields and the last-minute cancellation of the Exynos 2500 for the Galaxy S25 series.

If the yield and capacity forecasts hold, 2027 could finally see Samsung close the gap with TSMC in advanced nodes and bring Exynos back to the pinnacle of its smartphone lineup.