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Qualcomm May Use Samsung Foundry to Produce Different Variants of Snapdragon Elite 2 SoC for Galaxy S26 Series

Qualcomm May Use Samsung Foundry to Produce Different Variants of Snapdragon Elite 2 SoC for Galaxy S26 Series

Tagged as the ‘Kaanapali’ project, we could be looking at two different versions of the Snapdragon Elite 2 next year.

Written by Sheldon Pinto, Edited by Ketan Pratap | Updated: 26 June 2025 14:29 IST

Qualcomm May Use Samsung Foundry to Produce Different Variants of Snapdragon Elite 2 SoC for Galaxy S26 Series

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 series in India used Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC this year

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Highlights

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 may arrive in different versions next year
The regular Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 could be produced by TSMC’s 3nm process
The special version of the same said to be produced by Samsung’s 2nm proc

Samsung's collaboration with Qualcomm may take a significant step forward, as it now appears that the Korean electronics giant will not only receive a special version of its “for Galaxy” processors but also be allowed to produce them using its foundry. Qualcomm is reportedly developing both a basic and a premium version of its Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 processor. While previous and current versions of Qualcomm chips with Samsung's (for Galaxy) branding arrived with just a higher clock speed compared to the standard chip, Samsung is now gearing up to take things up a notch by using its own 2nm node.

According to Jukan Choi, Qualcomm is currently said to be developing its future top-end chipset, tagged as the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, under the project name ‘Kaanapali'. Given the brand's attachment to Hawaii, Kaanapali (written as Kāʻanapali) is a resort community in Hawaii, but the word in Hawaiian also stands for “the divided hill”. And this is where things get interesting.

According to the source, Qualcomm will produce two versions of its top-end chipset this year – a basic version and a special version tagged as ‘Kaanapali S'. The basic version, according to the rather lengthy and informative post, will be a standard chip with standard upgrades. For now, it has been planned to be manufactured using TSMC's 3nm process, just like things currently are.

There will also be a second special variant, which will be produced for Samsung's Galaxy devices in particular. However, unlike the past “for Galaxy” variations, which included a speed bump, Samsung will reportedly produce this chipset using its foundry. More importantly, this chipset will switch gears to Samsung Electronic Foundry's 2nm process.

The source claims that this special or ‘S' version of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 will be used in Samsung's Galaxy S26 models to be launched next year. Samsung's current Galaxy S25 models in all markets only use Qualcomm's SM8750-AB or Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm) SoC with a higher-than-usual clock speed of 4.47GHz versus the standard 4.32GHz.

Indeed, by switching to an advanced process, Samsung could offer better performance along with other benefits for its customers with deeper integration with its One UI software. The post also highlights how Samsung is also working on another project called ‘Trailblazer' with Qualcomm; however, these chipsets will not be used for mobile. The source claims that many customers may be considering Samsung's Electronics 2nm process because of TSMC's rising prices.

Samsung Galaxy S25

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Compact and excellent aesthetics
Top-notch display
AI features loaded
One UI 7 brings nice updates
Decent cameras

Bad
25W fast-charging limit
Expensive (base price)

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy S25 review

Display 6.20-inch

Processor Snapdragon 8 Elite

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 10-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

Battery Capacity 4000mAh

OS Android 15

Resolution 1080x2340 pixels

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Samsung Galaxy S25+

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Solid build and aesthetics
Excellent performance
Fantastic cameras
One UI 7 and extended software support
Powerful speakers

Bad
Expensive (base price)
Not a huge upgrade over S24+

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy S25+ review

Display 6.70-inch

Processor Snapdragon 8 Elite

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 10-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 256GB, 512GB

Battery Capacity 4900mAh

OS Android 15

Resolution 1440x3120 pixels

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Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
New design is for the better
Cameras deliver consistent performance
Good battery life
Excellent performance
Smooth UI

Bad
S-Pen is a downgrade
No Dolby Vision support
Low light camera performance is lacking
Slow charging

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review

Display 6.90-inch

Processor Snapdragon 8 Elite

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 200-megapixel + 50-megapixel + 50-megapixel + 10-megapixel

RAM 12GB, 16GB

Storage 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

Battery Capacity 5000mAh

OS Android 15

Resolution 1400x3120 pixels

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Further reading: Qualcomm, Samsung, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 S, Kaanapali, Kaanapali S, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 for Galaxy, Samsung Galaxy S26

Sheldon Pinto

Email Sheldon Pinto

Sheldon Pinto is based in Mumbai, and has several years of experience in reviewing smartphones and gadgets. As a Senior Reviewer at Gadgets 360, you will always find him deeply immersed in his reviews, switching from one phone to another. When the battery dies out, Sheldon is always browsing the web for a good sci-fi movie or reading up on cars and bikes. He also loves creating lists of interesting places to eat and travel. Sheldon is available on Twitter at @shellshocd, and you can mail him at ...More