Exynos is returning with the Galaxy S26, these are the models that will have it

It has finally basically been confirmed: Samsung has apparently been successful in perfecting its 2 nm Exynos 2600 chipset before the launch of the Galaxy S26 phones next year. Exynos is returning to the Galaxy flagships, and Samsung’s strategy for which models get its in-house processors will seem very familiar to you.Next year, the base model Galaxy S26, as well as the Galaxy S26 Edge, will feature the Exynos 2600. The Galaxy S26 Ultra, meanwhile, will still feature a Qualcomm processor: the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2, to be precise.

According to a new report (translated source), Samsung is also reverting to its previous strategy of shipping phones with different processors to different regions. Once again, the U.S. and Korean markets will get all Galaxy S26 phones running on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2. European markets and certain other regions, on the other hand, will be getting the Exynos variants.

While this has been a point of contention in the past, I think that the Exynos 2600 is actually a pretty good chip overall. It being based on a 2 nm manufacturing process, compared to Snapdragon’s 3 nm production, has made Samsung’s chip a lot more capable than might have been possible before.

According to recent Exynos 2600 performance scores spotted online, the chip is much more powerful than the Snapdragon 8 Elite currently found across the Galaxy S25 series. Given that this processor is already pretty overkill, the Exynos 2600 models should, in my opinion, make for fantastic phones.

However, if you absolutely must have the best of the best, then the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 is still the chip to go with next year. All Galaxy S26 Ultra models across the globe will feature the Snapdragon chip, so that should be your phone of choice. Recently seen Elite Gen 2 scores show that the chip is stupidly powerful, despite the aforementioned 3 nm disadvantage.

I’ve been keeping my fingers crossed for an Exynos comeback for a long time, because I still believe that Samsung can pull off something similar to what Apple silicon did for the Mac. While the Exynos 2600 may still be a bit slower than its Snapdragon alternative, this is definitely great news overall for Samsung.

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