Fresh benchmark leaks are giving us an early look at how Samsung’s upcoming Exynos 2600 stacks up against Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, likely in the Galaxy S26 lineup. Using Geekbench 6, the two chips were tested across single-core, multi-core, and GPU compute (OpenCL), offering a first snapshot of where each platform shines.
Based on the posted results, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy takes a clear lead on CPU performance. In Geekbench 6 single-core, it scores 3,670 compared to the Exynos 2600’s 3,105, putting the Snapdragon chip about 18.2% ahead. Multi-core results are closer, with the Snapdragon reaching 10,981 versus 10,444 for Exynos, a difference of roughly 5.14%. In other words, early numbers suggest the Snapdragon-powered Galaxy S26 Ultra variant has the advantage for CPU-heavy tasks, especially those that rely on strong single-core speed like app launches, UI responsiveness, and many everyday workloads.
The story changes when looking at graphics compute. Samsung’s Exynos 2600 is paired with the Xclipse 960 GPU, built around a customized AMD RDNA4-based design. That GPU appears to give Exynos an edge in Geekbench 6’s OpenCL test, where it scores 24,240, narrowly beating the Snapdragon’s 24,152. It’s a small margin, but it’s still noteworthy because it suggests Samsung’s new GPU approach could be competitive, at least in certain compute-focused scenarios.
It’s also important to keep expectations grounded: Geekbench runs in short bursts, so these scores don’t fully reveal what will happen during long gaming sessions, extended 4K recording, or sustained performance workloads where heat and throttling become major factors. That’s where Samsung may have another card to play. The Exynos 2600 is said to use a Heat Pass Block (HPB), described as a copper heatsink placed directly on the die to move heat away faster. If that cooling approach works as intended, the Exynos model could potentially hold performance more consistently over time, even if its peak CPU numbers trail the Snapdragon chip.
One more detail worth noting is that these GPU results are based on OpenCL only. Vulkan testing wasn’t included here, and Vulkan performance can paint a different picture depending on drivers and how each GPU handles that API. For anyone focused on gaming performance, graphics stability, and real-world frame rates, Vulkan and sustained testing will be just as important as these early OpenCL figures.
For now, the early takeaway is simple: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy looks faster on CPU benchmarks, while Exynos 2600 fights back with a slightly stronger OpenCL compute score and the promise of better sustained performance thanks to improved thermal handling. As more Galaxy S26 benchmarks surface, especially longer stress tests and additional GPU APIs, the gap between these two flagship chips should become much clearer.
