[News] Qualcomm Expects to Supply 75% of Galaxy S26 amid Samsung’s Exynos Comeback Drive

Qualcomm’s latest quarterly results come amid growing scrutiny of its partnership with Samsung, as the Korean tech giant steps up efforts to reduce reliance on Qualcomm chips. According to Reuters, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said the company was prepared for a smaller share of Samsung’s next-generation smartphones, expecting to supply about 75% of the chips for the upcoming Galaxy S26 lineup — down from full coverage of the Galaxy S25 models, where Qualcomm provided 100% of the chips.

While Amon’s comments indicate that Qualcomm is unlikely to supply all chips for Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S26, South Korean outlet Business Post notes that his remarks also underscore confidence in Snapdragon’s continued central role in Samsung’s premium smartphones — implying that Exynos chips will represent only a limited share of total shipments.

Meanwhile, during last week’s third-quarter earnings conference call, Samsung Electronics addressed questions about whether the Galaxy S26 would feature its Exynos 2600 mobile application processor (AP). The company said the AP evaluation for the S26 is still underway, making it too early to confirm next year’s lineup, FnNews reported.

AI Data Centers and New Frontiers for Qualcomm

Beyond Samsung, another major customer has also been advancing its in-house chip development. According to CNBC, Qualcomm expects to eventually lose Apple as a modem client and is working to diversify its portfolio by expanding into chips for other devices, including Windows PCs, virtual-reality headsets, and Meta’s smart glasses.

One of Qualcomm’s key growth areas is AI data centers. According to Reuters, Amon said during the earnings call that the company is in discussions with another major hyperscaler about adopting its AI data center chips. The report adds that Qualcomm last month introduced a new line of AI data center chips, with Humain, an AI firm backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, named as one of its customers.

As noted by Reuters, for the current fiscal first quarter ending in December, Qualcomm expects sales and adjusted earnings with a midpoint of $12.2 billion and $3.40 per share, both exceeding analyst estimates of $11.62 billion and $3.31 per share. According to the earnings call transcript from Investing.com, CFO Akash Palkhiwala said handset revenue is projected to grow by a low-teens percentage sequentially, driven mainly by new flagship Android launches powered by Snapdragon.

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(Photo credit: Qualcomm)