Galaxy S27 Ultra won't be as "cool" since Qualcomm's use of Exynos feature is not as effective
Tipster says that Qualcomm's implementation of a feature found in Exynos 2600 is not as effective in Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro.
Qualcomm's use of Exynos feature not as effective on Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro | Image by PhoneArena
If I told you a few years ago that Qualcomm was copying a feature from a Samsung Exynos application processor (AP) for its own flagship Snapdragon 8 series AP, you probably would have told me to take a brief vacation and stay in a room with rubber walls. After all, it wasn't that long ago that the Exynos APs were considered a "hot mess" with emphasis on hot.
Samsung finally sees the Exynos AP gain some traction thanks to the HPB
But the Exynos narrative was flipped this year with the release of the Exynos 2600. To make sure that the deca-core CPU didn't turn the inside of the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+ models into a steam bath, Samsung added a copper heat sink that would draw the heat to it, move it away from the CPU, and disperse it evenly inside the phone to prevent components from sustaining thermal damage.
The copper heat sink was named the Heat Path Block (HPB) and Samsung placed it right on top of the Exynos 2600 thus forcing Samsung to move DRAM to the side of the processor. This allows for direct contact between the AP and the HPB resulting in thermal conduction. The latter moves the heat away from the Exynos 2600 and brings it to the base of the heat sink making the AP 30% cooler than its predecessor.
Thanks to a new placement, the HPB for the Exynos 2700 has been improved
Keep in mind that the Exynos 2600 powers the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+ handsets in markets like Europe, South Korea, and India (most of Asia, really), Africa, the Middle East, and South America. In the US and Canada, Mainland China, and Japan, those models have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy under the hood, as does the Galaxy S26 Ultra in all markets.
Last month, we told you that Samsung made improvements for the HPB that will be employed with the Exynos 2700. Called Side-by-Side (SbS), the AP and DRAM will be next to each other with the copper heat sink, the second-generation Heat Path Block, on top of both. This will allow heat from both the Exynos 2700 and the DRAM to be drawn to the HPB, moving it away from the CPU.
Qualcomm uses the HPB for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, but it isn't as effective as Sammy's implementation
The Exynos 2700 will use Samsung Foundry's enhanced SF2P process node. Compared to the previous SF2 2nm process node, SF2P could deliver a 12% improvement in gross performance and a 25% reduction in energy consumption.
Reptalica's tweet about Qualcomm's use of HPB on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 AP.| Image by X
Last month, we also told you that Qualcomm and Apple were eyeing the HPB for use with their own APs. So far, it seems that the former has been testing its version of the heat sink. Tipster Reptalica, responding to a question on X, said that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, the AP expected on the Galaxy S27 Ultra, will feature the HPB as laid out in the Exynos 2600, but says, "it isn't as effective as [the] Exynos implementation."
Reptalica didn't say why the Qualcomm HPB isn't as effective as Samsung's. However, the tipster did say that the rumor that Qualcomm will produce six different versions of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro is incorrect and that there will be only two different variants of the chipset:
Tipster says to expect two variants of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6
- Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro (SM8975) will be the first Qualcomm SoC to support LPDDR6 RAM (along with backward compatibility for LPDDR5X), with nearly double the memory bandwidth. That will improve on-device AI speeds and GPU data processing. Priced at $300 each, only the most expensive flagship models, like next year's Galaxy S27 Ultra, will get this chip.
- Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 (SM8950) will be less expensive than the "Pro" variant. Qualcomm will make this happen by using LPDDR5X RAM on this version of the AP.
Qualcomm is also changing the cluster configuration for the Gen 6 chips to 2+3+3 from 2+6. The expected configuration is:
- 2 "Prime" Phoenix cores running at a clock speed as fast as 5.0GHz
- 3 "Performance" Middle cores
- 3 "Efficiency" Middle cores
With a 16MB L2 cache, Qualcomm hopes to reduce latency.
Because 2nm chip production is complex and expensive, Qualcomm will create a "binned" 7-core variation of the chip, with one performance core disabled and reduced CPU/GPU clock speeds. This will be sold with a huge wholesale discount to sub-flagship partners.
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