The Galaxy S27 Pro might have a chip problem, and it's not Exynos

As we approach the Galaxy S27 series launch, speculation around the chipsets powering the four phones has been growing. In addition to the base and Plus variants, the rumor mill also points to the Galaxy S27 Pro and S27 Ultra being equipped with Exynos 2700 in some regions, something that Samsung has strayed away from over the last four generations of the Ultra. However, a recent leak hints at some relief for buyers, including those in regions outside the US, along with a surprise for those looking to buy the new S27 Pro.

All four of the Galaxy S27 trims were recently spotted by Notebookcheck on the import-export database platform, NBD. These listings reveal details specific to the international dual-SIM variants of the Galaxy S27 series phones, typically meant to be sold in Europe.

Along with the model numbers, the listings also give away the marketing names of the phones as well as the chipsets powering these devices. Based on this, the base Galaxy S27 and the S27 Plus will feature the Exynos 2700. That’s not surprising, considering previous generations of the international base and Plus variants of the Galaxy S series also ran on Exynos chips. Previous leaks of the base and Plus variants have also pointed to the same information.

The Galaxy S27 Ultra, meanwhile, is claimed to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. This was also expected, as Samsung has powered the Ultra with Snapdragon chips across all regions since the Galaxy S22 Ultra. The Galaxy S21 Ultra was the last Ultra to offer both Snapdragon and Exynos based on the buyer’s region — though buyers in the US have always received Snapdragon chips. The choice to sell only Snapdragon-powered Galaxy S Ultra phones in the US may have also contributed to the perception that Exynos is inferior.

Lately, there has been some chatter about Samsung switching to Exynos 2700 on the Ultra due to performance and alleged overheating issues with Qualcomm’s latest chipset. While Qualcomm shot those concerns down in a public statement, the listing should also reassure European buyers cautious about the upcoming S27 Ultra running on Exynos.

Leaker Ice Universe also claimed that South Korean buyers might still receive a Galaxy S27 Ultra with an Exynos 2700, but there’s no clarity yet.

Galaxy S27 Pro and S27 Ultra may get different chips after all

The surprising part of the leak, however, is that the Galaxy S27 Pro is listed to be equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 — not the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. While both chipsets are manufactured on the same 2nm process, the Extreme variant is claimed to offer slightly better CPU, GPU, and NPU performance. It also enables smoother 8K 60fps video recording, while the standard Elite is limited to 30fps.

This discrepancy is likely to push power users to the Galaxy S27 Ultra up from the Pro. On the plus side, it could let Samsung lower the Galaxy S27 Pro’s bill of materials. Whether that translates into more attractive prices for buyers remains to be seen.

Samsung may also have chosen a less powerful chip to limit overheating on the smaller phone (which will have less surface area for heat dissipation).

Other Galaxy S27 series specs also revealed

Along with the chipset, the listing also reveals other key Galaxy S27 series specifications. Based on the information available, all four models will get at least 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. We can also expect more RAM on the Galaxy S27 Pro and Ultra.

Finally, we’ve listed the display sizes for all four phones here. These are the different display sizes for all the various models:

• Galaxy S27: 6.3-inch
• Galaxy S27 Plus: 6.7-inch
• Galaxy S27 Pro: 6.5-inch
• Galaxy S27 Ultra: 6.9-inch

Previous leaks also indicate that both the Galaxy S27 Pro and the S27 Ultra could feature Samsung’s second-gen Privacy Display, while the latter is also expected to get a bigger battery.