Samsung Exynos 2500 Challenges Qualcomm Through Satellite Connection Support

The Exynos 2500 chip has obtained satellite connectivity certification from Skyo (photo: x @sammobiles)

JAKARTA - Samsung is again strengthening its in-house chipset line position by announcing that Exynos 2500 will support satellite communications, a feature previously available only on the Galaxy line with Snapdragon chipsets. This signals serious competition against Qualcomm Snapdragon dominance, particularly in the features of emergency connectivity.

This support comes thanks to a collaboration with Skyo, a global non-terrestrial network service provider (NTN). The Exynos 2500 chip has obtained satellite connectivity certification from Skyo, marking Samsung's important step in bringing critical safety features into their flagship phones.

Samsung's partnership with Skyo was built above the NTN 3GPP standard to open connectivity anywhere, said Hui Won Je, Vice President of the Samsung Electronics Modem Development Team. Through our collaboration in the Samsung Exynos 5400 modem and the Exynos 2500 processor, mainstream devices can now connect to satellites in areas without cellular networks, presenting a new era of connectivity anywhere.

Send Emergency Messages Without Network

This feature allows users to send SOS or emergency messages even out of reach of cellular networks "similar to those introduced by Apple and Qualcomm in some flagship models. Now, Samsung is going further by embedding the feature on its own chips, not just relying on Snapdragon.

The Exynos 2500 is also Samsung's first 3nm chip for smartphones. Although previously rumored to be debuting on the Galaxy S25, the production yield problem forced Samsung to rely on Qualcomm for a while. But now, the Exynos 2500 is rumored to be used on the Galaxy Z Flip 7, while the Galaxy Z Fold 7 still uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite.

The entry of the Exynos 2500 into the market with satellite connectivity features is clearly an additional pressure for Qualcomm, which is already facing intense competition from MediaTek, Google (with a Tensor chip), and Xiaomi which is also developing its own chipset.

If the Exynos 2500 is able to compete in performance and power efficiency with the Snapdragon 8 Elite, this could be Samsung's turning point in relying on homemade chips for their future flagship devices.

Samsung is aiming for chipset independence with a big breakthrough through the Exynos 2500, as well as offering essential features in an emergency. Qualcomm, be aware that the competition is now not only a matter of speed, but also a matter of saving lives.