Perhaps no element impacts a smartphone’s construction more than the selection of a system-on-a-chip (SoC). The choice of SoC affects everything from the displays and cameras a phone can support to how power-efficient the device will be, even though a phone is much more than just how quickly it can process data.
Although Qualcomm develops its Snapdragon processors, it has always depended on fabrication partners like TSMC and Samsung to actually manufacture them.
The Business Post from South Korea claims that Qualcomm may be preparing an odd feature for the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. Samsung may receive a customised edition of Qualcomm’s next processor with a few exclusive enhancements, similar to what we saw with the S25 series and its special Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chips. However, Qualcomm could use Samsung to manufacture the chip itself this time.
That move would be especially intriguing because, according to industry insiders, Samsung has a promising 2nm process that may be used to build this version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 (known internally as the “Kaanapali S”). And Samsung, not Google, may be the first to deploy these kinds of next-generation CPUs in your hands if they do wind up in the Galaxy S26 series.
Samsung’s 2nm process yields have already reportedly increased from 30% to 40%. While that is still somewhat below what businesses aim for in terms of profitability, if that figure continues to improve, Samsung may be in excellent condition in a few more months. Although the business has reportedly postponed such ambitions to improve its 2nm process, it has also been considering 1.4nm products.
