Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 for Galaxy might be manufactured on Samsung Foundry's 2 nm node
An earlier report from South Korean media stated Samsung Foundry was close to regaining Qualcomm as a customer. While the two have consistently partnered up for mid-range chips, Qualcomm's flagship offerings continue to be manufactured by TSMC ever since the Snapdragon 888 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 failed to live up to expectations. However, SEDaily reports that could change next year.
Apparently, Samsung Foundry will manufacture the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 for Galaxy on its SF2 node. That effectively puts it on the same node as the Exynos 2600, also slated to debut in 2026. However, the chip will not power the Galaxy S26 trio and will instead be used for unspecified devices launching in H2 2026. This narrows it down to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Flip 8. If true, Samsung's 2026 lineup will look something like this:
- Galaxy S26: Exynos 2600
- Galaxy S26+: Exynos 2600
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Exynos 2600
- Galaxy Z Fold 8: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
- Galaxy Z Flip 8: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
The Galaxy S26 Ultra remains in a state of flux because, if the Galaxy S24 trio is anything to go by, the Ultra variant stuck to Qualcomm while the rest of the lineup got Exynos. It will not be as easy this time because the Snapdragon chip will not be ready in time. The only other possibility is that Samsung uses a TSMC N3P-based Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and that will complicate matters unnecessarily.
Additionally, Qualcomm runs the risk of reliving the Chipgate scandal once again. On paper, SF2 has a slight edge over TSMC N3P due to its GAAFET design vs FinFET, but Samsung Foundry has, for the past generations, lagged behind TSMC when it comes to power efficiency and raw performance. Besides, designing what is effectively the same chip for two radically different nodes is a mammoth task in itself.
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