Details about the Galaxy S26's processor are emerging.

Galaxy S26 series may use both Snapdragon and Exynos chips. | Image Credit - Ice Universe

The Galaxy S26 Ultra will exclusively use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, while the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus might feature a combination of that chip and Samsung's Exynos 2600, according to ET News.

Samsung is playing it safe with the Galaxy S26 Ultra

Approximately 70 percent of Galaxy S26 phones will use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, while the remaining 30 percent will be powered by the Exynos 2600.

All Galaxy S26 Ultra models will come with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. The North American versions of the standard and Plus models will also have Qualcomm's chip, while the Exynos 2600 will be used in European and Korean models.

The Exynos 2600 is expected to be the first smartphone chip using 2nm technology. The Galaxy S25 used only the Snapdragon 8 Elite because Samsung's chip had overheating issues, which have been resolved using technologies like Heat Pass Block (HPB). This tech puts a heat dissipation block on the chip to remove heat.

The Ultra is Samsung's top-tier model, accounting for over half of all sales. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is said to offer better performance and stability, making it Samsung's choice for the Ultra to increase customer satisfaction, as Qualcomm chips are considered superior to System LSI chips.

The Exynos 2600 is also reportedly facing supply limitations due to poor production yields, preventing Samsung from using it in all devices even if they wanted to.

"Our assumption for any new Galaxy is always going to be 75%. That is our assumption for Galaxy S26."

Cristiano Amon, President and CEO, Qualcomm, November 2025

"Our assumption for any new Galaxy is always going to be 75%. That is our assumption for Galaxy S26."

Cristiano Amon, President and CEO, Qualcomm, November 2025

Which chip is better?

Early benchmark results suggest the Exynos 2600 could outperform both the Snapdragon 8 Elite and the iPhone 17 Pro Max's A19 Pro. Leaks indicate its performance may rival the M5 chip in the iPad Pro.

However, benchmark scores can be manipulated and only show peak performance, not sustained performance. Additionally, if the Exynos 2600 outperformed the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, Samsung would likely use it in some Ultra models.

Samsung may have based its decision on the belief that consumers prefer Qualcomm chips. Regardless, buyers can be confident that performance will be fast regardless of the model they choose.

Playing it safe

Using in-house components can help companies cut costs and better integrate components. It makes sense that Samsung wants to bring Exynos chips back into its lineup.

The company is proceeding cautiously by using the Exynos 2600 in only a third of Galaxy S26 devices.

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