Next year’s flagship Android phones could cost more than expected thanks to new chips

The next generation of Qualcomm chips, including the Samsung Galaxy S25 's rumored Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, could be in line for a price bump — according to a new leak.

There have been plenty of indications that Qualcomm could increase the cost of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 but there was no firm figure. However, a recent claim from Digital Chat Station, via Android Authority , has revealed the possible pricing for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 and the Dimensity 9400. According to a post on Weibo, the Snapdragon will cost $190 while the Dimensity will cost $155.

The difficult part with news like this is figuring out how much it will affect the final retail price of any phone that uses it. For instance, we know that the Galaxy S25 series will likely see a price increase , but it probably won't be for the full cost of the new chip. This is due to several factors, including how in demand the chip is and the volume of orders. It should also be noted that DCS stated that this was an approximate price, meaning it could change in the coming months.

While leaks should always be taken with a pinch of salt, the figure provided does match the speculated 20% to 30% price increase that we had heard about from a report by analyst Ming Chi-Kuo. The biggest issue is how Android developers can work this new cost into their device, and if the new chip is powerful enough, especially speculated when compared to the A18 series in the new iPhone 16 , to warrant the cost increase.

We have seen some leaked performance tests in the past, with one showing off a clocked speed of at least 4.26GHz . Another leak, which claimed to show off the Geekbench 6 scores for the chip revealed a single-core score of 3,236 and a multi-core score of 10,049 . For reference, the iPhone 16's chip scores a single-core score of 3,301 and a multi-core score of 8,033. If the leaked results are accurate, then we are looking at a very powerful chip.

No one likes hearing about potential price increases, but sadly they are something of a necessity. The real question will be how much future Android phones will increase, and if they can remain some of the best phones available at the increased price.

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