Samsung's Galaxy S27 series could be the most confusing yet – tipped to use three different processors across four phones

The Samsung Galaxy S27 series could confuse buyers with a report suggesting that three different chips will be used to power the devices. That could point to wildly different performance between each phone.

The change comes with the expansion of phones offered under the Galaxy S27 banner. We're expecting to see the Galaxy S27, Galaxy S27 Plus, Galaxy S27 Pro and the Galaxy S27 Ultra.

We've previously we've seen all the models in the family using the same chip – as was the case for the Galaxy S25, where all the models used the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy.

Now, according to a report compiled by Notebookcheck, we learn that Samsung could be using up to three separate chips in the one range, drawing on its own Exynos hardware as well as Snapdragon CPUs. The details reportedly come from a Customs database, outlining the following distribution of hardware:

• Samsung Galaxy S27 - Exynos 2700
• Samsung Galaxy S27 Plus - Exynos 2700
• Samsung Galaxy S27 Pro - Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
• Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra - Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6

At first glance, this suggests that even though the Pro is lining up as a compact flagship, it won't quite have the same performance as the Ultra. The Extreme version of Qualcomm's latest chip has a more powerful GPU and NPU, while also offering more video codecs and the latest connectivity standards.

At the same time, the use of the Elite Gen 6 in the Pro might help Samsung keep the price in check and allow for greater distinction between the Pro and the Ultra.

The story doesn't end there, because the division between Exynos and Snapdragon is nothing new: for years, Samsung has used Snapdragon hardware in China and the US, while the rest of the world gets Exynos.

The US market might benefit most

That could also be what we're looking at here. There's every chance that when the Galaxy S27 launches in the US, it will have a Snapdragon chip, rather than Exynos.

That would make the line-up more coherent: having Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 in the S27, S27 Plus and S27 Pro would make the Ultra really stand out as the super flagship device with its Extreme chip.

That would mean that the Pro's biggest advantage would be offering the same camera as the Ultra, but in a package that won't quite offer the same performance.

Over the past decade we've seen Samsung switch back and forth with Exynos and Snapdragon hardware, we've seen rumours about global Exynos or Snapdragon use which haven't turned out to be true.

If the past is anything to go by, this is just the start of the rumour dance as we try to figure out exactly what will power Samsung's next generation of phones.