Samsung launches Exynos 2500 just ahead of Unpacked — chip rumored to power Galaxy Z Flip 7

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First 3nm Samsung processor

Samsung Exynos 2500 chip press image
(Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung's latest chip, the Exynos 2500, is apparently ready for primetime after months of rumors that the company was struggling with production yield.

Today (June 23), Samsung officially revealed the new system-on-chip, which is widely expected to power the forthcoming Galaxy Z Flip 7.

What's new with Exynos

Samsung Exynos

(Image credit: Samsung)

The new processor is being manufactured with Samsung's 3nm Gate All Around (GAA) node, which is expected to improve efficiency. The smaller node should reduce the chip thickness compared to the Exynos 2400, thereby improving heat dissipation.

The CPU features a 10-core design with a 1+7+2 arrangement, as described by Samsung. Samsung claims 15% higher performance.

It also features a Cortex-X925 core that runs at 3.3GHz, two Cortex-A275 cores at 2.74GHz and five more at 2.36GHz. In general, this appears to be a bit faster than the older Exynos.

Beyond that, the new AMD-based GPU should be faster, especially when it comes to ray-tracing-enabled games.

Samsung is promoting its AI capabilities, and it does offer up to 59 TOPS, about 39% more than the 2400. It should enable more AI features to work or improve on future Samsung devices.

This includes AI-based image processing for sensors up to 320MP, more than enough for the lenses Samsung has been putting in its own phones. You can record at 8K resolution up to 30 fps in video.

One big upgrade is to the modem, which is built-in. It now has support for non-terrestrial networks, which means phones using the Exynos 2500 could access satellite messaging.

The 5G modem is coupled with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity. Samsung also claims that the analog GNSS interface (GPS-related) has been improved.

Capabilities and future phones

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 features on outer cover display

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

A couple of days before this announcement, leaker Tarun Vats posted a new Geekbench benchmark that purported to show a device running an Exynos 2500 processor with 12GB of RAM.

In that test, the chip scored 2356 points in single-core and 8076 points in multi-core.

For comparison, in our testing of the Galaxy S25 base model, which features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, it scored 2,916 and 9,886, respectively. The 2500 scores do outperform Google's Tensor G4, used in the Pixel 9 Pro, by quite a bit.

Where we might see gains in the Exynos 2500 compared to previous years, especially in the Galaxy Z Flip 7, is in heat dissipation. We saw a number of complaints online that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in the Z Flip 6 overheated quickly on the clamshell phone.

Presumably, the heat dissipation of the new Exynos 2500 will be much better, making it last longer without worry of overheating.

As mentioned, we believe the Exynos 2500 will feature in the Galaxy Z Flip 7, regular Samsung leaker Ice Cat confirmed as much recently. It could also show up in the rumored cheaper Z Flip 7 FE.

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Scott Younker
Scott Younker
West Coast Reporter

Scott Younker is the West Coast Reporter at Tom’s Guide. He covers all the lastest tech news. He’s been involved in tech since 2011 at various outlets and is on an ongoing hunt to build the easiest to use home media system. When not writing about the latest devices, you are more than welcome to discuss board games or disc golf with him. He also handles all the Connections coverage on Tom's Guide and has been playing the addictive NYT game since it released.

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