Samsung is gearing up for the launch of its Galaxy S26 series, slated for February, with rumors indicating a notable comeback of the Exynos chipset in key global markets. The Galaxy S26 and S26+ models will reportedly feature the Exynos 2600 in regions such as Korea and Europe, while North America is expected to receive versions powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen Elite 5 chip. Meanwhile, the flagship Galaxy S26 Ultra is anticipated to be equipped with the Snapdragon chip worldwide.
Recent reports from South Korea’s ChosunBiz, citing industry insiders, reveal ongoing negotiations between Samsung Electronics’ System LSI and MX divisions to reduce the Exynos 2600 manufacturing cost by $20 to $30 per unit. This price cut is likely aimed at improving Samsung's profit margins on Exynos-powered devices rather than providing a direct discount to consumers on the Galaxy S26 models with the Exynos chip.
Render of Samsung Galaxy S26+
The Exynos 2600 processor, fabricated using Samsung’s advanced 2nm semiconductor process, features a deca-core CPU setup with a 1+3+6 core configuration, capable of reaching peak clock speeds of up to 3.8GHz. Early benchmarks suggest promising performance, but it remains uncertain how these numbers will hold up in everyday usage scenarios.
Notably, the Exynos 2600 reportedly surpasses the Snapdragon 8 Gen Elite 5 chip by 29% in GPU performance. Additionally, it is rumored to deliver 14% faster CPU speeds and 75% higher GPU benchmarks compared to Apple’s A19 Pro chip featured in the iPhone 17 Pro series, positioning it as a highly competitive option in the premium chipset segment.
Source (in Korean)
