Insider Schrödinger reports that Qualcomm may be rethinking its pricing strategy for Samsung to keep Snapdragon chips dominant in future Galaxy phones. The plan could involve deep discounts on flagship SoCs, making them more appealing compared to Samsung's own Exynos.
The logic is clear: smartphone component costs keep rising. DRAM price hikes are already pushing manufacturers to cut costs, and Samsung might even use cheaper BOE OLED panels in the base Galaxy S27 instead of its own displays, according to rumors. In that context, a significantly discounted Qualcomm offer could be too good to pass up.
Complicating matters is the move to TSMC's 2nm process for flagship chips. The projected unit cost of future Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro and similar chips is expected to top $300. That puts pressure on phone makers' margins, forcing them to either raise prices or skimp on other components. Rumor has it that Qualcomm is willing to give Samsung up to a 16% discount, potentially bringing the Snapdragon's final price 12% below the Exynos 2700.
For Samsung, this is a delicate choice. On one hand, the company wants to push its own Exynos chips and reduce dependence on Qualcomm. On the other, if the Exynos 2700 remains expensive to produce on 2nm due to yield issues, a cheaper Snapdragon becomes a pragmatic way to keep Galaxy profits healthy.
None of this is confirmed yet, so it's best to treat the news cautiously. But from a business perspective, the scenario makes sense: Qualcomm can't risk losing its biggest customer, and Samsung, facing rising costs for memory, displays, and advanced processors, may prioritize economics over chip ideology.