Samsung made it clear at its latest Galaxy Unpacked that its partnership with Qualcomm has never been stronger: most of the new products unveiled rely on Snapdragon chips, spanning foldable smartphones, wearables and smart glasses.
Samsung–Qualcomm partnership visible across the Galaxy lineup
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra ship with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, while the Galaxy Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2 are powered by the Snapdragon Wear Elite, built on a 3 nm process. Those announcements confirm that, despite rumors about a renewed push for in‑house Exynos processors, Samsung has leaned heavily on Qualcomm for its recent introductions.
Snapdragon chips on almost every front
Qualcomm’s presence goes beyond foldable flagships: the Galaxy Z Flip 8 uses a Snapdragon chip in key markets such as China and the United States (with the Exynos 2600 still appearing in other regions). The smart glasses co‑developed with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker use the Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1, and Samsung’s first mixed‑reality headset is based on the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2. On the high‑end phone front, the Galaxy S26 Ultra continues to use “for Galaxy” variants of Snapdragon flagship silicon. Several midrange devices (Galaxy A27, M47) and some Galaxy Book models—including the Galaxy Book 4 Edge and Galaxy Book 6 Edge—also use Snapdragon X‑series chips.
A collaboration that goes beyond SoC supply
The cooperation extends beyond simply supplying SoCs: Qualcomm uses FC‑BGA substrates from Samsung Electro‑Mechanics for its server chips dedicated to AI. On stage, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon joined Samsung executives at Galaxy Unpacked, underscoring that the two companies have collaborated for thirty years—a public reminder of the depth of their industrial ties.
What this highlights for the Samsung ecosystem
Reaffirming Qualcomm across much of the lineup reinforces Samsung’s pragmatic strategy of relying on an external partner for its most performance‑ and compatibility‑sensitive segments. It also highlights an integrated supply chain in which Samsung’s components businesses (like Samsung Electro‑Mechanics) complement Qualcomm’s offerings.
In short, Galaxy Unpacked delivered a clear, tangible demonstration: the Samsung–Qualcomm partnership is broad and multifaceted—spanning silicon, substrates and co‑developed products—and plays a central role in Samsung’s product roadmap.
