The Samsung-Qualcomm rivalry has always ended in Qualcomm's favour, and the comparisons have always felt like foregone conclusions. Snapdragon processors typically leave their Samsung counterparts in the dust, and the same goes for the latest sub-flagship Snapdragon and Exynos chipsets. It has reached a point where Exynos is struggling to keep up even with the upper mid-range chipsets, so what exactly is the gap between the Exynos 2500 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5? Let's find out.
Samsung Exynos 2500 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: AnTuTu Score
AnTuTu Benchmark | Exynos 2500 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 |
|---|---|---|
AnTuTu Score | 1,777,598 | 2,886,527 |
CPU | 569,671 | 887,251 |
GPU | 552,187 | 951,094 |
Memory | 295,399 | 384,303 |
UX | 360,341 | 663,879 |
Kicking things off with the AnTuTu benchmark, it already paints a clear picture. The Exynos 2500 puts up a respectable 1,777,598 points, but the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5's 2,886,527 score completely overshadows it. This is a performance gap of over 60%. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 scores higher in almost every aspect, but one area where it particularly outshines the Exynos 2500 is in GPU performance.
The Exynos 2500 scores 569,571 in CPU, whereas the 8 Gen 5 gets 887,251. The GPU scores are also vastly different, with a stark difference of 400,000 points (552,187 vs 951,094), and the same goes for memory and UX. The OnePlus 15R is on a completely different level compared to the Galaxy Z Flip 7.
Despite the Exynos 2500 featuring two more cores, it's no match for Snapdragon 8 Gen 5's custom 3rd Generation Oryon cores, the same as the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. That said, the issue with Exynos 2500 extends beyond numbers to its 3nm GAA manufacturing process, which isn't as good as TSMC's 3nm N3P process. The Exynos produces more heat and throttles, while the TSMC process helps the 8 Gen 5 stay efficient.
Exynos 2500 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: Geekbench Score
Geekbench 6 CPU | Exynos 2500 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 |
|---|---|---|
Single-core | 1,751 | 2,808 |
Multi-core | 5,432 | 9,198 |
In pure CPU testing, the disparity continues, with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 scoring 2,808 in single-core and 9,198 in multi-core. Compare that to the Exynos 2500's 1,751 and 5432, and you are looking at a chipset that is effectively a generation behind.
The Snapdragon chip is roughly 69% faster in multi-threaded tasks, which means everything from video editing to multitasking will feel significantly snappier on the Qualcomm chip. The difference is, again, due to the core configurations and the manufacturing process, where the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is just plain better.
Samsung Exynos 2500 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: CPU Throttling Test
CPU Throttling Test | Exynos 2500 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 |
|---|---|---|
Maximum Score | 399,204 GIPS | 320,105 GIPS |
Average Score | 213,973 GIPS | 263,126 GIPS |
Minimum Score | 136,922 GIPS | 197,824 GIPS |
Throttling Percentage (Higher is better) | 45% | 70% |
This is where it gets a bit weird, but we do have an explanation. In a surprising twist, the Exynos 2500 actually beats the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 in peak theoretical speed, hitting 399,204 GIPS versus Snapdragon's 320,105 GIPS score. However, the victory is short-lived as the 8 Gen 5 pretty much aces through the rest of the scores, beating Exynos 2500 by a significant margin.
As for why the Exynos 2500 posts a higher peak score, it could be due to its core configuration because it has those two extra cores at its disposal. While it has one less prime performance core, it could be balancing it out with the 5x performance A725 cores, which may have resulted in a higher score. It shows what the Exynos 2500 could've been capable of if Samsung figured out a way to tackle its overheating.
The Exynos 2500, due to thermal throttling, crashes to performing at just 45% of its capacity. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is far more consistent, maintaining a 70% stability. The Exynos exhausts itself quickly, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 has great endurance.
Exynos 2500 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: 3DMark Scores
3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test | Exynos 2500 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 |
|---|---|---|
Best Loop Score | 4,372 | 4,952 |
Lowest Loop Score | 1,795 | 3,085 |
Stability | 41.1% | 62.3% |
In 3DMark, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 takes the lead and hits a peak loop score of 4,952, comfortably ahead of the Exynos 2500's 4,372 points. While the Exynos 2500 holds its ground pretty well in the best loop score, its main enemy remains consistency.
While the Snapdragon stayed relatively cool, maintaining a 62.3% stability and never dropping below 3,000 points in its lowest loop, the Exynos 2500 buckled under the load, dropping to a low of 1,795 with a poor 41.1% stability rating. For gamers, this means the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 will offer smooth frame rates for hours, while the Exynos will start stuttering after a few minutes.
Samsung Exynos 2500 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: Speedometer Score
Just like in the Exynos 2500 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 comparison, the Exynos 2500 secures a win in the Speedometer benchmark, which measures browser responsiveness. The Exynos 2500 scored 21.0 points, edging out the Snapdragon 8 Ge 5's 19.3. This suggests that despite the raw power deficit, the Exynos 2500 is surprisingly optimised for lightweight, single-threaded web tasks.
Benchmark Gallery
Exynos 2500 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: Specs and Comparison
Specs | Exynos 2500 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 |
|---|---|---|
Process Node | Samsung 3nm GAA (SF3) | TSMC 3nm (N3P) |
CPU | 10-core Tri-Cluster CPU (ARMv9.2) | 8-core 3rd-gen Oryon CPU |
CPU Cores | 1x Cortex-X925, 5x A725, 2x A725, 2x A520 | 2x 3rd-gen Oryon Prime (3.8GHz), 6x 3rd-gen Oryon Performance (3.32GHz) |
GPU | Xclipse 950 (RDNA 3.5) | Adreno 840 without Adrenbo High Performance Memory |
Storage and Memory | UFS 4.0, LPDDR5X | UFS 4.1, LPDDR5X memory, up to 4800MHz |
NPU | 24K MAC NPU (59 TOPS) | New Hexagon NPU |
ISP | Up to 320MP Single Camera, 8K 30fps Encoding, 8K 60fps Decoding | Qualcomm Spectra 20-bit Triple ISP, Images up to 320 MP, Videos at 4K120FPS |
Modem | Integrated 5G modem | Snapdragon X80 5G modem, Up to 10 Gbps Peak Download, Up to 3.5 Gbps Peak Upload |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, LE, and UWB |
Verdict
When you look at the numbers, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 is unequivocally the superior processor for power users. It offers 60% higher scores in AnTuTu and Geekbench, and it handles heat far better, maintaining decent performance during sustained loads where the Exynos collapses.
The Exynos 2500 is fascinating in the sense that it actually has higher burst potential than the Snapdragon and wins in basic web responsiveness. However, its inability to manage heat, likely exacerbated by the Z Flip 7's form factor, makes it hard to recommend for gamers and multitaskers. Snapdragon is the clear winner.
