A new report suggests the Galaxy S27 Ultra could arrive with a chip developed by Samsung itself - one that may even be powerful enough to challenge Qualcomm’s most advanced Snapdragon processor.

Galaxy S27 Ultra could use Exynos 2700

According to a report from South Korean outlet Money Today, Samsung is said to have changed its plans and placed orders for Galaxy S27 Ultra motherboards featuring the Exynos 2700.

If accurate, the move would mark a significant turning point for the Galaxy S Ultra lineup.

Samsung is reportedly pursuing a dual-track development strategy for the Galaxy S27 Ultra.

The company is continuing to develop a Snapdragon-powered version while also preparing a variant equipped with the Exynos 2700.

That means Qualcomm has not been dropped from Samsung’s plans, but Exynos could return to the premium Ultra model for the first time in years.

If the Galaxy S27 Ultra does launch with the Exynos 2700, it would be the first Galaxy S Ultra since the Galaxy S22 Ultra to use an Exynos processor.

In recent generations, Samsung has favored Snapdragon chips for its Ultra models, particularly in key markets.

Which markets could get the Exynos 2700?

The possibility that Samsung will exclusively use the Exynos 2700 across all Galaxy S27 Ultra models, or throughout the entire Galaxy S27 lineup, is considered very low.

Based on Samsung’s chip distribution strategy over the years, users in the US are still likely to receive a Galaxy S27 Ultra powered by Snapdragon.

Meanwhile, the Exynos 2700 could be rolled out in selected markets.

Samsung has taken a similar approach with previous Galaxy S generations, dividing devices by region according to the processor they use.

For the Galaxy S27 and Galaxy S27 Plus, the likelihood of Exynos variants appearing in certain markets is even higher.

The two models are almost certain to continue offering Exynos versions, much like the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus.

The Galaxy S27 Pro, however, remains a question mark. Current rumors have yet to reach a clear consensus on the model’s specifications.

Most sources, however, suggest the Galaxy S27 Pro will share many specifications with the Ultra model, opening the possibility that the two could use the same chip platform.

Why is Samsung suddenly betting on the Exynos 2700?

Samsung’s decision may come as a surprise to many, but it could stem from promising test results for the Exynos 2700.

A report published last month said Samsung had tested the Exynos 2700 against several versions of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6.

The results were reportedly surprising, with the new Exynos chip outperforming its Qualcomm rival in key tests.

In the Geekbench 6.5 multi-core test, the Exynos 2700 was reportedly up to 19% faster than the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and around 9.5% faster than the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro.

CPU performance may not be its only strength, as the Exynos 2700 is also said to deliver impressive graphics performance.

The chip’s GPU reportedly performed around 5% better than the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro.

More notably, under low-power conditions, the reported performance gap widened to 22% over the Pro version and 24% over the standard Snapdragon model.

If those figures hold up in commercial devices, the Exynos 2700 could become one of Samsung’s most noteworthy mobile chips in years.

Still, caution is needed when assessing the Exynos 2700’s real-world capabilities based solely on synthetic benchmarks.

Results from tests such as Geekbench do not fully reflect how a smartphone performs under sustained workloads over extended periods.

This has been one of the weaknesses of several previous Exynos generations. A chip may achieve very high scores in short benchmark runs, only for performance to decline as temperatures rise or when the device has to handle demanding workloads for prolonged periods.

The tests mentioned above were also conducted on prototype devices. Their hardware configurations, software and optimization could differ significantly from the commercial versions that eventually reach the market.

Even so, if the results accurately reflect the capabilities of the Exynos 2700, Samsung may finally have a genuine rival to Qualcomm in the premium smartphone chip segment.

Hai Phong