Galaxy S26 lineup tipped to split chips again: Exynos 2600 for most markets, Snapdragon-only Ultra
Samsung’s in-house silicon looks set for a major return. A new report points to the Exynos 2600 powering next year’s Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Edge in most regions, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra sticks with Qualcomm globally. Buyers in the United States and China are expected to see Snapdragon across the entire range.
Early Geekbench sightings suggest the Exynos 2600 is competitive with Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 (also referred to as Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5). Although the Qualcomm chip in those tests didn’t appear to be running at full tilt, the Exynos entry still showed meaningful gains over last year’s Exynos, hinting at a much stronger generational jump for Samsung’s own silicon.
Regional breakdown
– Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Edge: Exynos 2600 in Korea, Europe, and other global markets; Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 in the US and China
– Galaxy S26 Ultra: Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 worldwide, continuing the approach used with the previous Ultra
What the Exynos 2600 looks like on paper
– CPU: Deca‑core layout in a 1+7+2 configuration, reportedly one Cortex‑X9930 prime core and nine Cortex‑A730 performance cores. The design drops traditional efficiency cores, similar to recent MediaTek strategies, aiming for higher sustained performance with smart scheduling.
– GPU: Rumors claim Samsung is moving away from AMD’s RDNA-based Xclipse architecture for this generation, with a new in-house design said to be led by an ex-Huawei engineer.
– Process: Manufactured on Samsung’s SF2 node, giving the Exynos 2600 a theoretical fabrication advantage over the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2’s TSMC N3P. Historically, such node advantages haven’t guaranteed real-world wins, but they could help with efficiency and thermals if execution is strong.
Why this matters
– Performance parity is the goal. Even matching the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 in day-to-day use would be a big credibility boost for Samsung’s foundry and Exynos roadmap.
– Consistency for power users. Keeping the Ultra model Snapdragon-only worldwide simplifies accessories, optimization, and long-term performance expectations for the flagship crowd.
– Market-specific tuning. Regions getting Exynos could benefit from tighter hardware–software integration, while Snapdragon regions maintain continuity with app and game optimization trends.
What to watch next
– Final clock speeds, GPU details, and NPU capabilities once Samsung formally announces the chipset
– Battery life and thermal behavior under sustained loads
– Any regional differences in camera features or connectivity tied to the chipset split
As with any pre-launch reporting, details can change before the official reveal. But if these plans hold, the Galaxy S26 family could mark Samsung’s most confident Exynos comeback in years, with a pragmatic Snapdragon-only strategy for the Ultra that keeps performance expectations high across all markets.
