Your next Galaxy S Ultra may use Samsung’s own Exynos chip again after five years

Samsung may drop Qualcomm from the Galaxy S27 Ultra if a heat problem is not fixed. A report from Seoul Economic Daily says the next Snapdragon 8 Elite chip runs too hot in Samsung’s tests. Neither company has confirmed this, so treat it as a rumor for now.

Samsung reportedly told Qualcomm about the problem in September. It asked for a fix in heat and steady performance by mid-October. The chip also lost speed during long, heavy use, according to the report. As of now, Qualcomm has reportedly not met Samsung’s targets. The reports we have seen give no temperature figures. Both sides are still testing and tuning the chip.

If Samsung switches, the S27 Ultra would use the Exynos 2700. That would be the first Exynos in an Ultra in five years. The chip is expected to use Samsung’s second-generation 2nm process. Earlier rumors said it did well in some speed and efficiency tests.

For buyers, heat matters more than a headline benchmark. A cooler chip means steadier gaming and longer video recording. It can also mean better battery life. A hot chip slows itself down to protect the phone, and you feel that as dropped frames.

In past years Samsung split chips by region, so a mixed lineup is possible. No report says so yet.

Other leaks add to the picture. Ice Universe first gave a 1.28mm screen border and a 4.69mm camera bump for the Ultra. A newer leak says 1.21mm and 4.64mm. For comparison, the S26 Ultra has a 1.68mm border. Rivals such as the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max and OPPO Find X10 Pro Max claim even thinner frames.

The same tipster says the S27 Pro and S27 Ultra will support UWB. The standard S27 and S27 Plus will not. UWB helps with precise tracking, digital car keys and smart home controls. If you rely on those, the higher models may be the only choice.

A separate Korean report says Samsung is weighing GlobalFoundries as a second supplier of OLED driver chips. These small chips tell each pixel what to show. Today the supply leans on fewer partners. A second one would reduce the risk of shortages that could slow the Galaxy Z Fold8.

Nothing here is final. Qualcomm is still a strong candidate for the Ultra, and Samsung has not said which chip it will use. We will update this story if either company responds.