Who is Skylo?
Skylo services graph | Image by Skylo
Skylo Technologies is a global provider of Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) services based in Mountain View, CA. The company provides services that allow smartphones and IoT devices with cellular connectivity to hook up directly to satellites.
Skylo services work with existing satellite operators, network operators, and device manufacturers, providing the necessary bridge between these parties. The company has a rich portfolio of partners, and Samsung is just one of the more recent partnerships that Skylo scored.
Samsung’s partnership with Skylo is built upon 3GPP NTN standards to unlock connectivity everywhere. Through our collaboration on the Samsung Exynos Modem 5400 and the Exynos 2500 mobile processor, mainstream devices worldwide will now have the underlying technology to connect to satellites wherever cellular networks are unavailable, ushering in a new era of ubiquitous connectivity – Hui Won Je, VP of Modem Development Team at Samsung Electronics.
Exynos 2500 specs and features
The Exynos 5400 5G modem will have satellite connectivity on board | Image by Samsung
The Exynos 2500 is the first 3nm chip in the Samsung portfolio, following its predecessor, the Exynos 2400 used in the Galaxy S24 series. It’s believed to bring some serious performance and efficiency gains along with the aforementioned satellite connectivity.
However, a leaked Geekbench 6 score of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 painted a different picture. The phone was able to score just 2,012 in the Geekbench single-core test and 7,563 in the multi-core benchmark.
For comparison, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-equipped Galaxy Z Flip 6 managed 2,251 and 7,131 in the same tests, respectively, which puts the Exynos 2500 score in some perspective. We should bear in mind that these leaked early scores are usually lower than the scores of the production units due to optimization and fine-tuning the silicon.
Will the Galaxy Z Flip 7 have satellite connectivity?
It’s hard to say, even with the information above and the new partnership between Skylo and Samsung. The Exynos 2500 chip will certainly have the option to connect to satellites, but whether Samsung will unlock it and offer it to the public might depend on various business factors.
Is this the return of the Exynos to Galaxy flagship phones?
Is this the return of Exynos silicon inside Galaxy flagships? | Image by Samsung
The Exynos 2500 silicon platform was touted to debut with the Galaxy S25 series, but rumor has it that Samsung Foundry had problems with dye yields and couldn’t supply the necessary volumes for that to happen. Which, subsequently, cost Samsung a lot of money to make the switch to Snapdragon 8 Elite.
The latest information suggests that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will be equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, while the Z Flip 7 may get the Exynos 2500 in some markets (some even say including the US).
This may signal a return of the Exynos silicon inside Samsung’s flagship phones and a possible diversification of the Galaxy S26 hardware, for better or for worse.
In terms of the satellite connectivity support, the Galaxy S25 range has it onboard via Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Satellite services. So, whichever platform Samsung chooses for the Galaxy Z Flip 7 (and the Galaxy S26 for that matter), the satellite connectivity feature is almost a certainty.
What do you think about all this? Which chipset would you like to see inside the Galaxy Z Flip 7? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts in the comments below.
