Exynos is (probably) back! Galaxy S26 Ultra to get an in-house chipset that will beat Snapdragon and Apple A19 Pro

Samsung might be preparing a controversial move. According to leaks from Korea, the Galaxy S26 Ultra could receive the in-house Exynos 2600 chipset in some regions – including Europe – instead of the traditional Snapdragon (this time labeled 8 Elite Gen 5). If the information is confirmed, it would be the first Ultra model with Exynos since the Galaxy S22 Ultra in 2022.

Why is Samsung bringing Exynos back to Ultra models?

For the past four years, Samsung’s Ultra models have been exclusively equipped with Snapdragon chipsets. The reasons were clear – Exynos had weaker performance, overheating issues, and Samsung Foundry struggled with low manufacturing yield. The result was massive customer backlash, with surveys consistently showing a preference for Snapdragon variants.

However, the situation might be changing. According to leaks from Korean media, the Exynos 2600 is expected to be a technological breakthrough. Samsung Foundry is finally implementing a 2nm manufacturing process with GAA (Gate-All-Around) transistors, which gives the chipset a significant advantage over current 3nm solutions from competitors.

Exynos 2600 is set to crush the competition

If the leaked performance tests correspond to reality, the Exynos 2600 should be the fastest mobile chipset of 2026. Here are the key figures:

• NPU (AI performance): 6× faster than Apple A19 Pro, 30% faster than Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
• CPU (multi-core): 14% faster than A19 Pro
• GPU (graphics): 75% faster than A19 Pro, 29% faster than Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

These figures are impressive, but they should be taken with a grain of salt. These are leaks, not official data, and Samsung has a history of optimistic promises that haven’t materialized in practice.

Who gets Exynos and who gets Snapdragon?

Samsung reportedly plans a 50:50 split between Exynos 2600 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. The regional distribution should look like this:

• Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: USA, China, Japan
• Exynos 2600: Europe, Korea, rest of the world

This means that customers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia would receive the Exynos version. If the chipset is indeed as powerful as the leaks claim, we could for the first time see a situation where the Exynos variant is better than Snapdragon. Historically, it has always been the other way around.

Interestingly, Samsung Foundry has reportedly secured a contract to manufacture the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, likely using its 2nm process. Theoretically, all Galaxy S26 models could thus contain chipsets manufactured by Samsung – just some under the Qualcomm brand.

Would you buy a Galaxy S26 Ultra with Exynos?

If the leaks are confirmed and the Exynos 2600 truly beats both Snapdragon and Apple Silicon, it could be a technological milestone. Samsung Foundry would finally prove its ability to compete with TSMC, and customers in Europe would for the first time receive a better chipset than the USA.

On the other hand, history is against Samsung. Exynos chipsets have consistently disappointed, and customers have legitimate concerns. Until we see real-world tests from independent reviewers, it remains to be seen whether Samsung will deliver on its promises this time.

What do you think? Would you buy a Galaxy S26 Ultra with Exynos 2600 if it were truly faster than Snapdragon? Or would you prefer the certainty of a Qualcomm chipset? Let us know in the community.

Would you want Exynos in upcoming Galaxy phones?

Source: Android Authority, GSMArena