The Snapdragon 8 Elite, Qualcomm’s most powerful mobile chip to date, has found significant success thanks to Samsung. A custom version, the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, was developed specifically for Samsung and has been integrated across the entire Galaxy S25 lineup, including the S25, S25+, S25 Ultra, and S25 Edge. Despite other manufacturers also using the Snapdragon 8 Elite in their flagship models, it is Samsung that has notably driven the chip’s success this year. By May 2025, Samsung had sold 16.61 million units of the Galaxy S25 series worldwide, with the S25 Ultra leading the pack at 8.39 million units. This achievement is remarkable considering that the combined sales of all other brands using the same chip have not reached this figure. Consequently, the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy has emerged as a major triumph for Qualcomm, as it has shipped more of these custom chips to Samsung than the standard version to other manufacturers.
How did Samsung’s Galaxy S25 series propel Qualcomm’s top chip to success?
