Samsung Galaxy S22 gaming boost? Next Exynos chip will feature AMD graphics

Exynos 2200 teaser video clip
(Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung's Exynos chip isn't known as a powerhouse when compared to the best silicon from Qualcomm. But the upcoming Exynos 2200 — which might appear in some Samsung Galaxy S22 models — could be a big leap forward for Samsung's in-house chip.

Samsung plans to launch a new Exynos chip on January 11, and the expectation is that it will be the Exynos 2200. But in hyping the launch — both in a teaser video and a tweet — Samsung's providing a reason to be excited about this new chipset. It's going to have a GPU that taps into AMD's RDNA 2 graphics architecture. 

Both the PS5 and Xbox Series X use RDNA 2, and while that won't turn Exynos-powered smartphones into portable gaming consoles, it should mean an improved gaming experience for mobile. Samsung is promising as much with the "Playtime is over" message in its teaser video.

Rumors of AMD's involvement with the next Exynos chip first surfaced last summer, thanks to leaked images of an Exynos 2200 chip featuring what appeared to be six AMD RDNA 2 GPU cores. Samsung's tweet about its January 11 launch doesn't include that level of detail, but it does promise the "next Exynos with the new GPU born from RDNA 2."

That could make the Galaxy S22 launch expected next month even more intriguing. While we expect the flagship phones Samsung releases in the U.S. to run on the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 system-on-chip, Galaxy S22 models released in other parts of the world could feature the Exynos 2200 and its souped-up graphics. After all, Samsung has divvied up which chips appear in its Galaxy S models that way in the past.

The early part of 2022 figures to be a busy period for Samsung on the phone front. The company is expected to launch the Galaxy S21 FE sometime this month — possibly as early as next week's CES 2022 conference. That phone's likely to use last year's Snapdragon 888 chipset, just like the rest of the S21 lineup. Following the Exynos event on January 11, attention will turn to the Galaxy S22 launch, currently expected to happen in February.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 expected to power U.S.-based Galaxy S22 models boasts graphics improvements and advanced gaming features among its benefits, so Galaxy fans who get that phone won't be at a disadvantage compared to models powered by an Exynos 2200 with RDNA 2-based graphics. But it will be interesting to see how those phones measure up against their Snapdragon-powered counterparts. 

TOPICS
Philip Michaels

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.

Read more
Samsung galaxy s24 hands-ons
Samsung Galaxy S26 could return to Exynos over Snapdragon — here's what we know
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 CPU spec looks very different to S25
Snapdragon X Elite
I’m hyped for Snapdragon X2, but it must outmuscle Intel and AMD — 5 ways to do so
Samsung Galaxy S24 series
Samsung Galaxy S25 expected to launch this month — and these 3 things will determine if the phones are upgrade-worthy
Hands-on image of Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra playing Call of Duty Mobile in the Backbone One phone controller
Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra is an incredibly powerful phone — and there’s one area where it’s a cut above the rest
AMD Ryzen AI Max
AMD’s Ryzen AI Max: The silent killer of dedicated laptop GPUs? Let me explain
Latest in Samsung Phones
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge back
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge price comes into focus with latest leak
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 tipped for a huge outer screen upgrade — here’s what we know
Galaxy Z Fold 6 shown in hand
Samsung just killed the crease with this breakthrough foldable phone display
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra astrophotography.
I tried astrophotography on my Galaxy S25 Ultra and I’m not impressed — here’s why
samsung galaxy s25 edge at mwc 2025
I just saw the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge up close — and I'm not impressed
Samsung Galaxy A36 back in Lime
Samsung Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A26 debut — bringing more AI to inexpensive phones
Latest in News
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge back
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge price comes into focus with latest leak
Apple iPhone 16 Plus Review.
Apple just released an emergency security update for a flaw used in an ‘extremely sophisticated attack’ — update your devices right now
NYTimes Connections
NYT Connections today hints and answers — Wednesday, March 12 (#640)
Jean Smart as Deborah Vance and Hannah Einbinder as Ava Daniels in Hacks
Max reveals 'Hacks' season 4 release date and trailer — here's when it's coming
Google Pixel 5 review
Google Pixel 10 lineup leaked in new renderings — here's what they look like
A person trying to set up a new Wi-Fi router
Thousands of TP-Link routers have been infected by a botnet to spread malware