Reports from South Korea suggest that some variants of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could ship with the Exynos 2600 — a chipset allegedly faster than both Apple’s A19 Pro found in the iPhone 17 Pro series and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which is widely expected to power all S26 Ultra models.
If true, this would mark a surprising comeback for Samsung’s in-house silicon. The Galaxy S Ultra line hasn’t featured an Exynos chip in four years, following performance controversies with earlier versions. What makes the story even more intriguing is that two Korean outlets — Yonhap News and Hankyung — have independently reported nearly identical details about the Exynos 2600’s benchmark results. The synchronicity suggests a coordinated leak designed to build anticipation around Samsung’s next-generation chipset rather than just the Galaxy S26 lineup itself.
A Return to Form for Exynos?
A powerful Exynos 2600 could be more than just a marketing win. It could signal a turning point for Samsung’s semiconductor division, which has already secured notable contracts — including supplying autonomous driving chips to Tesla and image sensors to Apple. If the reports hold true, the 2600’s performance could help Samsung Foundry attract more high-profile partners.
Sources claim the Exynos 2600 has either entered mass production or will do so by November 2025, just in time for the Galaxy S26’s expected early-2026 release. Both reports also highlight Samsung’s improved 2nm production yield, an area where the company has lagged behind Taiwan’s TSMC in recent years.
Exynos 2600: AI and GPU Powerhouse
Following the Exynos 2200 debacle in 2022 — when Galaxy S22 models running Exynos overheated and underperformed compared to their Snapdragon counterparts — Samsung turned to Qualcomm for its flagship models. In recent releases, Exynos chips were limited to the standard Galaxy S models, while the Ultra lineup exclusively used Snapdragon variants.
The Exynos 2600 could change that narrative. According to reports, its Neural Processing Unit (NPU) is up to six times faster than the Apple A19 Pro’s Neural Engine. CPU performance is said to be roughly 14–15% higher in multi-core tasks, and GPU output may see gains of up to 75% compared to Apple’s chip. However, Apple is still expected to retain a slight edge in single-core performance,
where its chips traditionally lead.
In real-world tests, the iPhone 17 Pro Max already fell short of Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra, suggesting that Apple’s once-commanding lead in performance could be narrowing.
Outpacing Qualcomm’s Latest Flagship
When compared to Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the Exynos 2600 allegedly achieves 30% better NPU performance and nearly 29% higher GPU output. CPU comparisons were not disclosed. Yonhap News further notes that the new Exynos chipset delivers measurable gains in video playback, streaming, and gaming performance, surpassing both Apple and Qualcomm’s latest flagship chips in certain use cases such as Netflix streaming and game optimization.
Interestingly, the Exynos 2600 is said to be Samsung’s first flagship SoC to feature a discrete modem, a modular design that could reduce heat and enhance efficiency — potentially explaining the impressive benchmark numbers.
A Delayed Launch on the Horizon?
While these performance claims are promising, they remain unverified until Samsung unveils the Galaxy S26 series officially. Recent rumors suggest that the Galaxy S26 launch could be delayed until March 2026, raising speculation about whether the expanded use of the Exynos 2600 — possibly across all three S26 variants — has played a role in pushing back the timeline.
If Samsung successfully delivers a next-gen chip that not only rivals but exceeds its biggest competitors, it could re-establish Exynos as a serious force in the high-performance mobile chipset space — a comeback few expected just a few years ago.
