Since rumors first emerged about exactly what chip would power the Samsung Galaxy S25, two main competitors took the lead: the Exynos 2500 or the Snapdragon 8 Elite. We've seen guesses go both ways, but based on what we know, the phone will be powered by a different chip depending on its region.

According to a recent Geekbench sighting, European markets will likely receive the Exynos chip. There's no word yet on what markets will get the Snapdragon 8 Elite. That said, the latest Geekbench scores show a European variant of the Galaxy S25 Plus running the Exynos 2500, bringing in a score of 2,359 single-core and 8,141 multi-core.

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The fact that we have a Geekbench score for the Exynos is proof enough that it will come to at least some markets. The Geekbench score also demonstrates the phone's configuration: a 10-core processor with a base speed of 1.8GHz and a max core speed of 3.3GHz. Its GPU, at least in this particular setup, is the Xclipse 950 on AMD architecture.

For some context, the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus have Qualcomm chips in North America, but use Exynos chips in all other markets. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 Ultra has a Qualcomm chip regardless of where you buy it. Given the new evidence of an Exynos-powered Galaxy S25 Plus, it's possible Samsung will go with a similar approach once again in 2025.

This constant flip-flopping of information demonstrates the unreliability of leaks. While many leaks prove accurate, none are guaranteed until an official statement from the company. Theories abound as to why Samsung might choose to go with the Exynos over the Snapdragon chip, most of which revolve around supply issues.

Given the information at hand, the first set of phones releasing in January could come with the Exynos, while later models -- like the S25 Ultra and the rumored S25 Slim -- could ship with the Snapdragon chip. It's all speculation, but we will know more as the release date nears.