Galaxy S26: At least one Samsung flagship with Exynos 2600 instead of Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 "confirmed"

Even though Exynos chipsets continue to be problematic in one way or another, it still pops up every year, as was recently the case with the Galaxy S25 family. The case of the Exynos 2500 and its disappointing performance yields, which prevented its use in the Galaxy S25, will not be repeated in 2026, according to media reports from South Korea over the past few weeks. Now, for the first time, there is also "confirmation" from SamMobile, which claims to have found evidence of the Exynos 2600 in at least the smallest Galaxy S26 model.

Unfortunately, what exactly this evidence consists of is not really revealed, which is why we put the word "confirmation" in quotation marks until we have unequivocal proof or official confirmation. According to SamMobile, the global Galaxy S26 Pro models will feature an Exynos 2600 instead of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, with only China and the US getting a model with the Qualcomm chipset. If the reports about a rushed development of the Galaxy S26+ turn out to be true, it could also be powered by an Exynos 2600, according to the Samsung fan website.

Whether this is good or bad news for Europeans remains to be seen. Even though Exynos chips have traditionally been less efficient and powerful than their Snapdragon counterparts, Samsung may finally achieve success for the first time this year, as the Exynos 2600 is expected to be the first commercially available 2nm chipset before other competitors follow suit with TSMC-produced chips in 2026. Thanks to this manufacturing advantage, the new ARM Lumex architecture and a heat blocker directly on the chip, Samsung may even possibly overtake the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 this time around.