Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 Tipped to Debut with Custom Snapdragon Chipset

Samsung Foundry has recently been in the headlines thanks to its 2nm push to challenge the industry leader TSMC. Newly surfaced information suggests that Samsung aims to finally close the gap by collaborating with Qualcomm for a Samsung-manufactured Qualcomm processor that could first power the Galaxy Z Flip 8.

Snapdragon 8s Elite Gen 5 could be manufactured by Samsung

A report from Counterpoint Research, first reported by a Korean news agency, Yonhap, suggests that Samsung Foundry is expected to begin shipping the Snapdragon 8s Elite Gen 5 in the H1 2026. The processor could be a slightly enhanced version of the TSMC-based Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and may power the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 8.

However, the 8s Elite Gen 5 won't be the first Samsung-based 2nm chipset. It could instead be the Exynos 2600, which is expected to power the upcoming Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+. The chipset could go official at the Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event in February. 

The Exynos 2600 Geekbench listing also appeared a while back, with scores close to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Therefore, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Samsung-based 2nm Snapdragon 8s Elite Gen 5 with the 3rd Gen Oryon cores performs on par or better than its 3nm TSMC counterpart.

Securing the Qualcomm order would mark a significant milestone for Samsung Foundry, as it has been struggling to keep up with TSMC, mostly due to poor yield. To support this ambition, Samsung is expected to increase its manufacturing capacity further.

Besides, reports suggest the brand has aggressively cut prices for its 2nm wafers by about 33% to woo customers away from TSMC. Counterpoint Research also notes that as of Q2 2025, TSMC's market share stands at 71% while Samsung massively trails behind at 8%.

Recent Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 leaks suggest that Samsung's planning to bring significant improvement to its Flip phones, like it did with the Z Fold series this year. Besides focusing on thickness, a more powerful processor like the Snapdragon 8s Elite Gen 5 could be another improvement.

More information about the Snapdragon 8s Elite Gen 5 should surface as we leapfrog into 2026 and get close to the Z Flip 8 launch, which should happen sometime in July 2026. Qualcomm is also expected to make two Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 variants, which could be based on TSMC's 2nm process.