Swept up in an AI-driven component price storm, Samsung is reportedly considering breaking its longstanding tradition of exclusivity for its high-end smartphones.

Historically, the South Korean tech giant has maintained a strict rule of using in-house display driver chips developed by its subsidiary, System LSI, for its flagship devices. However, the relentless surge in memory chip prices over the past year has directly eaten into the mobile division's profit margins. To prevent retail prices from skyrocketing, Samsung has been left with little choice but to seek alternative solutions to optimize production costs for the upcoming Galaxy S27 series.

This strategic compromise is expected to initially apply to the standard Galaxy S27 and S27+ models. Meanwhile, the more premium tiers—the S27 Pro and S27 Ultra—will retain priority access to the company's top-tier internal components to secure their industry-leading status.

The company's mobile division has already set its sights on a range of external semiconductor suppliers, including both domestic and Taiwanese partners. Yet, Samsung isn't rushing to sign any contracts. Instead, it is putting prototype chips through rigorous performance testing. The tech giant needs absolute certainty that the display quality from these partners matches its in-house components before moving into mass production.

Securing alternative supply chains is rapidly becoming a survival strategy for the South Korean behemoth in the AI era. Previously, Samsung had even weighed the option of sourcing display panels from Chinese manufacturers for this lineup, though the plan was scrapped at the eleventh hour to protect the S series' notoriously strict quality standards.