Samsung may be returning to its familiar dual-chip strategy for next year’s Galaxy S26 series. After going all-in with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite for current models, new rumors suggest the company will once again split chipsets, using a next-gen 2nm Exynos processor in some regions and Snapdragon in others, just as it has done for the past few years.
The Exynos 2600 is already in the making, and this chip might just change your perception of Samsung’s in-house SoC forever. Exynos chips have historically lagged behind their Snapdragon counterparts for years, but the new Exynos 2600 might just pull ahead in terms of performance for the first time ever.
Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus will likely debut with the Exynos 2600 chip in some countries next year. It’s been reported by a Korean publication that the chip has been designed by Samsung’s System LSI division and fabricated on Samsung Foundry’s latest 2nm process node.
The Samsung new flagship mobile's specs remain hidden for now, but there’s a possibility that Samsung might borrow AMD’s RDNA 4 technology for the integrated GPU. We’ll know more about the chip once Samsung starts Exynos 2600’s mass production in the second half of this year.
Samsung will beat Apple, MediaTek, and Qualcomm to the punch with its 2nm Exynos 2600 chip. Since other chipset makers will be relying on TSMC’s 3nm fabrication, up to the point of Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 and MediaTek Dimensity 9500, Samsung will be offering a more energy-efficient and powerful 2nm chip by January.
Meanwhile, Apple plans to launch its own Apple A20 (2nm) silicon in the second half of 2026. For now, though, Samsung has its attention divided between the Fan Edition devices and the upcoming foldable phone, launching in July.
Galaxy Z Flip FE is allegedly built around an Exynos 2400 chip, and so is the Galaxy S25 FE. Samsung plans to use an Exynos 2500 for the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and a Snapdragon 8 Elite for the Z Fold 7. With the world’s first 2nm chip on the horizon, next year is poised to be a significant milestone for Samsung, if everything goes smoothly.