Apple's decision-making has resulted in the Exynos 2600 outperforming the A19 Pro.
The A19 Pro AP underperforms the Exynos 2600 on Geekbench's multi-core test.
The Apple A19 Pro application processor isn't dominating its competitors as much as expected. The Samsung Exynos 2600 AP, potentially the first smartphone chip using a 2nm process, will rival the A19 Pro. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite 5, the successor to the Snapdragon 8 Elite, will also compete with Apple's A19 AP.
Apple's A19 Pro powers the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. It is manufactured by TSMC using its third-generation 3nm process (N3P), making it Apple's most powerful smartphone processor. The A19 Pro's six-core CPU, with two performance and four efficiency cores, achieves a 13% performance improvement over last year's A18 Pro, which used TSMC's second-gen 3nm process.
The A19 Pro focuses on efficiency rather than maximizing performance, resulting in Geekbench 6 scores of 3,895 (single-core) and 9,746 (multi-core). While Apple's AP led in single-core performance, its emphasis on efficiency caused its multi-core score to lag behind the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 and Exynos 2600.
Even with the Snapdragon 8 Elite 5 AP underclocked at 4GHz (compared to 4.74GHz), it achieved a multi-core score of 11,515 on the Galaxy S26 Edge, surpassing the A19 Pro by 18.2%. However, it still trailed the A19 Pro's single-core score by 12.9%.
The Exynos 2600, made by Samsung Foundry using its 2nm Gate-all-around (GAA) node, may power the Galaxy S26 Pro and Galaxy S26 Edge in all markets except the U.S., Canada, and China, where the Snapdragon 8 Elite 5 for Galaxy will be used. The Exynos 2600 would be the first 2nm chip in a smartphone, utilizing Gate-All-Around (GAA) transistors.
GAA transistors surround all four sides of the channel, decreasing current leaks and enhancing drive current, leading to more efficient and powerful chips. These transistors enable smaller, higher-performing chips. Samsung Foundry has used GAA transistors since its 3nm node, while TSMC will introduce them with its 2nm silicon later this year.
The Exynos 2600's multi-core score exceeded the A19 Pro's by 15.5%, but it fell short of Apple's AP in single-core performance by 15%.
Despite the A19 Pro's lower Geekbench multi-core scores compared to the Exynos 2600 and Snapdragon 8 Elite 5 APs, this will likely not affect sales of the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max versus the Galaxy S26 Pro, Galaxy S26 Edge, and Galaxy S26 Ultra. Consumer buying decisions are rarely based on Geekbench scores.
Some believe Android processors cannot outperform Apple's chips. While this has occurred, the A19 Pro has six CPU cores, while the Snapdragon 8 Elite 5 has eight and the Exynos 2600 has ten.
Geekbench scores don't influence purchasing decisions, as evidenced by the Pixel 10 XL, which is powered by the Tensor G5 AP. The Tensor G5 achieved Geekbench scores of 2,285 (single-core) and 6,191 (multi-core). Although improved over the Tensor G4, these scores are lower than the A19 Pro, Snapdragon 8 Elite 5, and Exynos 2600 APs.
The announcement of "Iconic Phones: Revolution at Your Fingertips," a coffee table book about the 21st century tech revolution, is coming in a few months.