Samsung pivots from titanium to aluminium for Galaxy S26 Ultra
If your company is in the business of supplying materials for smartphone housings, heatsinks, or structural alloys, you'll want to pay attention. Samsung is set to move away from titanium and embrace aluminium for the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra. As reported by Fudzilla, this shift is largely due to the high costs associated with titanium and the better thermal conductivity that aluminium offers. It's a strategic decision aimed at protecting both profit margins and performance.
Apple's recent choice to switch back to aluminium for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, primarily due to rising costs of titanium alloys and the impact of Trump's tariffs, is shaking things up in the industry. Now, Samsung is reportedly looking to follow suit with a similar material approach for its upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Samsung, which initially jumped on the titanium design bandwagon following Apple's iPhone 15 Pro, is now shifting gears with its material strategy. With aluminium providing better heat dissipation and much lower production costs, the company is gearing up for a return to this more practical choice for the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra.
An effect on the price
Smartphone manufacturers are really feeling the squeeze as the costs of components continue to rise, especially for those high-end chips. Qualcomm and MediaTek have seen wafer prices jump by as much as 24 per cent for their Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and Dimensity 9500 processors, all thanks to TSMC's premium pricing. With the introduction of next year's 2 nm nodes on the horizon, the pressure on industry margins is only going to increase.
Samsung's reliance on Qualcomm has turned laughable, especially as its own foundry operations struggle to keep up. This year, chipset spending climbed from USD 8.5 billion in 2023 to USD 8.8 billion, marking a 3.53 per cent increase. Shifting from titanium back to aluminium is a smart move to recover some margins while also enhancing thermal performance without breaking the bank.
Going back to the old ways
Samsung is pinning its hopes on a comeback for its Exynos lineup, with the highly anticipated 2 nm GAA-based Exynos 2600 set to launch later this year. The company could finally roll out a Galaxy Ultra without having to depend on Qualcomm's steep prices in every market. Early benchmark results are looking cautiously optimistic, as much enthusiasm as the industry can muster for Samsung's own silicon.
Win in setback
Aluminium does come with its own set of trade-offs as the Galaxy S26 Ultra is likely to be a bit heavier, and while it might handle corner impacts better than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, the rear glass is still quite fragile. There's also the potential for paint chipping, but that is more about the finishing than the metal itself.
The uptick? The newly launched phones will have improved thermal performance. When paired with a vapour chamber, aluminium could help the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, which is already reaching 4.74 GHz on some cores compared to 4.60 GHz and is pushing its limits a bit further for that extra boost in performance.
So, is the shift taking place?
Taking into account the benefits of aluminium compared to titanium alloy and stainless steel, Samsung is gearing up to switch the Galaxy S26 Ultra's chassis to this lighter and more thermally efficient material.
On another note, Qualcomm still has not revealed the upgraded Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and is likely to be branded as Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy. A previous leak from Geekbench 6 suggests that the performance cores on the Galaxy S26 Edge clocked in at 4.74 GHz, a slight increase from the usual 4.60 GHz, which points to a modest yet significant performance boost.
With better cooling due to the aluminium chassis and a vapour chamber, the Galaxy S26 Ultra could see some nice improvements in both single-core and multi-core performance. Given these benefits, Samsung is gearing up to use aluminium for its flagship model in 2026.
Note: To feature your brand and share insights, contribute an article or interview in our forthcoming e-magazine "End-user Revolution: ALuminium’s Impact on Modern Living”
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