Samsung’s Exynos chips are back. The comeback is strong and dramatic. If the coming numbers are to be believed, Exynos 2600 might dominate all the current flagship chips like Apple A19 Pro and Snapdragon Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
According to a report from Korean business publication Hankyung citing “industry sources,” Samsung’s upcoming Exynos 2600 chipset destined for the Galaxy S26 series, launching early next year, delivers performance that beats Apple and Qualcomm.
It allegedly obliterates them. We’re talking 6x faster AI processing than Apple’s A19 Pro, 75% faster graphics, and 14% faster multi-core CPU performance.
The numbers seem too good. And that’s exactly why you should approach these claims with caution.
Samsung Exynos 2600 Vs Apple A19 Pro and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
Let’s start with the numbers, because they’re genuinely wild:
vs. Apple A19 Pro:
- NPU (AI) performance: 6x faster
- GPU (graphics): 75% faster
- Multi-core CPU: 14% faster
vs. Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5:
- NPU performance: 30% faster
- GPU performance: 29% faster
Additionally, the report claims superior video playback performance over both competitors, though specific metrics weren’t provided.
The numbers have been shard by reputed semiconductor industry Analyst as well.
If these numbers hold up in actual shipping devices and that’s a massive “if”the Exynos 2600 would be the most significant performance leap in mobile chips in years.
Reason for performance gains of Exynos 2600 – The 2nm process with Gate-All-Around (GAA) Gamble
The Exynos 2600 is set to be Samsung’s first-ever mass-market chip built on its 2nm (SF2) process.
The new 2nm process an entirely new transistor architecture called Gate-All-Around, or GAA. This is similar to that of TSMC 2nm process same GAA under Nanoflex name.
GAA, which Samsung calls MBCFET (Multi-Bridge Channel FET), wraps the gate around all four sides of the channel. This gives the gate much tighter control over the electron flow, which drastically reduces power leakage and allows for higher drive currents.
TSMC and Samsung use different definitions for process node names. Samsung’s 2nm process might offer different transistor density, power characteristics, and yield rates compared to TSMC’s 2nm (which Apple and Qualcomm will use for their next-generation chips). Process nodes are marketing terms now, not direct measurements of transistor size.
Usually the chip performance isn’t just totally about raw architecture. It is also about the architecture and how efficiently you can manufacture that architecture at scale.
Samsung Foundry has historically struggled with yield rates (the percentage of chips that work correctly) on advanced nodes. Lower yields mean higher costs and potential supply issues.
But Samsung has already achieved 85% yield rates with their 2nm process and going for more.
Samsung is reportedly so confident that they’re planning to use Exynos 2600 in all three Galaxy S26 models (base, Plus, and Ultra) in most regions, marking the first time since 2022 that an Exynos chip has powered Samsung’s flagship Ultra model.
The chip is manufactured on Samsung Foundry’s 2-nanometer process node and will reportedly account for roughly 50% of S26 production, with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips still used in the U.S., Japan, and China.
Separated modem architecture is unusual and might explain the numbers
One interesting technical detail buried in the report: Samsung allegedly separated the modem (cellular connectivity) from the main System-on-Chip (SoC) for Exynos 2600.
Typically, mobile processors integrate everything CPU, GPU, NPU, image processor, and modem on a single piece of silicon. This improves power efficiency because data doesn’t have to travel between separate chips. But it also limits how much die area (physical space on the chip) you can dedicate to performance components.
By offloading the modem to a separate chip, Samsung gains more space for bigger CPU/GPU/NPU cores, more cache memory, and better thermal design. That could absolutely deliver better benchmark performance.
The tradeoff? Power efficiency. Separate chips mean more data transfer overhead, which typically increases battery drain. Samsung is betting that their 2nm process efficiency gains offset this penalty. Whether that bet pays off in real-world battery life remains to be seen.
Samsung has made extraordinary Exynos performance claims before as well. They haven’t always held up.
These are internal benchmarks, not independent tests
The report cites “industry sources” and Samsung’s internal testing. We don’t know which benchmarks were used, under what conditions, or whether they represent real-world usage patterns. Benchmark selection matters enormously, you can make almost any chip look exceptional if you choose the right tests.
NPU benchmarks are particularly notorious for this. AI workload performance varies wildly depending on model type, precision (INT8 vs. FP16), batch size, and memory bandwidth. A chip can be 6x faster on one specific AI task and barely faster on another.
Exynos has a recent history of underdelivering
From 2020-2023, Exynos chips in Samsung’s flagship phones were widely criticized for:
- Overheating under sustained load
- Aggressive thermal throttling (reducing performance to manage heat)
- Poor power efficiency compared to Snapdragon equivalents
- Inconsistent real-world performance
The Exynos 2200 (Galaxy S22, 2022) was particularly controversial. Samsung hyped its AMD RDNA-based GPU architecture as revolutionary. In practice, it throttled so aggressively that sustained gaming performance was worse than the previous generation. European and Korean users who got Exynos models while the U.S. got Snapdragon complained loudly about the performance gap.
Samsung responded by skipping Exynos entirely in the Galaxy S23 and S25 flagships (except budget models). Now they’re claiming they’ve not only fixed the problems but leapfrogged the competition by massive margins. That’s a bold claim that requires extraordinary evidence.
The Financial and Strategic Context
Samsung’s renewed Exynos push is more than just about technical prowess.
Samsung’s System LSI division (which designs Exynos chips) and Foundry division (which manufactures them) have been bleeding money. Each reported roughly ₩2 trillion (~$1.5 billion) in losses in the first half of 2024. The report claims those losses narrowed to ₩1 trillion in Q3, with expectations of further improvement as Exynos 2600 shipments ramp up.
Meanwhile, Samsung’s smartphone division spent ₩10.9 trillion (~$8.1 billion) on mobile processors last year mostly buying Snapdragon chips from Qualcomm. Bringing chip production in-house reduces those costs dramatically while boosting revenue for Samsung’s struggling semiconductor divisions.
This creates obvious incentive for Samsung to position Exynos as competitive, even if real-world performance is merely “good enough” rather than “dominant.” If they can convince the market (and themselves) that Exynos matches or exceeds Snapdragon, they solve multiple business problems at once.
What This Actually Means for Galaxy S26 Buyers
Here’s the practical reality: if you buy a Galaxy S26 in Europe, Korea, or most of Asia, you’re probably getting an Exynos 2600. If you buy in the U.S., Japan, or China, you’re getting Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
Based on past precedent, expect the Snapdragon version to be the safer bet—at least until independent reviews confirm Exynos performance and efficiency claims. Samsung has earned skepticism here through years of Exynos underperformance.
What to watch for when reviews arrive:
- Sustained performance, not burst benchmarks: Can the chip maintain performance over 15-20 minutes of heavy use, or does thermal throttling kill it?
- Real-world battery life: Does the separate modem architecture impact endurance?
- Gaming performance: GPUs are particularly prone to thermal issues. Can it actually deliver that 75% graphics advantage in extended gameplay?
- AI performance in actual apps: NPU benchmarks are meaningless if real apps don’t take advantage of that speed.
Exynos 2600 may mark a dramatic comeback for Exynos and Samsung If
Samsung claims the Exynos 2600 marks a dramatic comeback, with performance that exceeds both Apple and Qualcomm across multiple metrics. The company is confident enough to use it in their flagship Ultra model for the first time in years.
The numbers are impressive. They’re also unverified, sourced from Samsung’s internal testing, and come from a company with a recent track record of Exynos overpromising and underdelivering. The architectural choice to separate the modem could deliver benchmark wins while hurting real-world efficiency.
This is a “wait for independent reviews” situation. If Samsung has genuinely solved Exynos’s performance and efficiency problems while leapfrogging the competition, it’s a massive achievement. If these are carefully selected benchmark results that don’t reflect real-world usage, it’s another Exynos disappointment.
We’ll know which when actual Galaxy S26 units ship early next year. Until then, treat these claims as aspirational rather than confirmed.
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