News in Short

• Qualcomm will power the latest Samsung Galaxy phones, smartwatches and AI glasses.
• Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy debuts in the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Z Fold8 and Z Flip8.
• Samsung’s first Snapdragon-powered smartwatch uses the Snapdragon Wear Elite platform.
• Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 also powers Samsung and Google’s new intelligent eyewear.
• The partnership focuses on delivering faster on-device AI and a connected Galaxy ecosystem.

Samsung’s latest Galaxy devices share one thing in common—they’re all powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platforms. From foldable smartphones and smartwatches to intelligent eyewear, Qualcomm is becoming the AI engine behind Samsung’s expanding device ecosystem.

The collaboration, announced at Samsung Unpacked, marks one of the biggest milestones in the nearly three-decade relationship between the two companies. More importantly, it highlights why Qualcomm remains Samsung’s preferred chip partner in the era of on-device AI.

AI needs powerful chips, not just powerful software

Artificial intelligence is no longer limited to cloud servers. Today’s AI features—from live translation and image editing to contextual assistants and health tracking—run directly on devices.

That requires processors capable of handling massive AI workloads without draining battery life or slowing down performance.

This is where Qualcomm believes Snapdragon has an edge.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy combines Qualcomm’s Oryon CPU, advanced Adreno GPU and next-generation Hexagon NPU to process AI tasks directly on the device. As a result, users get faster responses, improved privacy and lower latency without depending entirely on the cloud.

For Samsung, this means Galaxy AI features become quicker, smarter and more reliable across different devices.

One chip strategy across the Galaxy ecosystem

This year’s announcement goes beyond smartphones.

Qualcomm now powers Samsung’s flagship foldables, the Galaxy Watch9 series and the company’s new intelligent eyewear developed alongside Google.

The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold8 and Galaxy Z Flip8 all run on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy Watch9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra2 become Samsung’s first smartwatches powered by the new Snapdragon Wear Elite platform.

Samsung’s upcoming intelligent eyewear also relies on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chipset, bringing AI capabilities to an entirely new product category.

Instead of optimising separate processors for every device, Samsung can now build a more connected AI ecosystem powered by a common Snapdragon foundation.

Personal AI is becoming the next battleground

Qualcomm’s biggest focus is no longer raw performance. Instead, the company is betting on what it calls Personal AI.

The idea is simple. Your smartphone, smartwatch and smart glasses should work together to understand your habits, routines and surroundings.

For example, a smartwatch can continuously monitor health metrics and activity, while a phone processes contextual information. Smart glasses can then provide relevant information without requiring users to reach for their phones.

Because every device uses Snapdragon platforms, information can move more efficiently across the ecosystem.

That creates AI experiences that feel more natural instead of isolated to individual devices.

Qualcomm is betting big on AI wearables

The partnership also extends Qualcomm’s ambitions beyond smartphones.

Samsung and Google have expanded their Android XR collaboration to include intelligent eyewear powered by Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1.

The first products, developed with eyewear brands Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, are expected to launch later this year.

Unlike bulky mixed reality headsets, these glasses aim to deliver lightweight AI experiences such as contextual information, voice assistance and real-time interactions.

For Qualcomm, it represents another step towards making AI available across every personal device users carry.

Why Qualcomm remains Samsung’s preferred partner

Samsung develops its own Exynos chips and also works closely with Google on AI experiences. However, Qualcomm continues to be the company’s go-to partner for flagship Galaxy devices because it consistently delivers a combination of high performance, power efficiency and specialised AI hardware.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, Snapdragon Wear Elite and Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 are designed to work together, allowing Samsung to offer a consistent AI experience whether users are holding a foldable phone, wearing a smartwatch or using smart glasses.

As AI becomes central to consumer electronics, the chip powering these experiences matters as much as the software itself. Samsung’s latest launches make it clear that Qualcomm is no longer just supplying processors—it’s helping define the future of the Galaxy ecosystem.