There have been a lot of rumors around the Galaxy S26 series' performance, specifically about if it will continue to use chipsets from Qualcomm across all markets. However, Samsung unveiled its in-house Exynos 2600 chip in a new video and now, I’m not sure it needs Qualcomm anymore.
First and foremost, the Exynos 2600 is stated to be the world's first smartphone SoC built on a 2nm Gate-All-Around (GAA) manufacturing process. According to Samsung, this new design will massively improve performance, efficiency and thermal behavior due to how the GAA process works.
Of course, a chip is only as powerful as its cores, and the Exynos 2600 has an impressive setup. Samsung has used a 10-core CPU that focuses on big and mid-sized performance cores, The advantage to using these sizes is that they allow for strong, sustained performance and maximum power efficiency. This should, according to Samsung, allow for a 39% increase in CPU performance compared to the Exynos 2500. Something that leaked benchmarks for the 2600 seem to back up.
If you’re a gamer, then the Exynos 2600 has a lot to offer thanks to the Xclipse 960 GPU. Samsung states that it offers twice the computing performance and a 50% increase in ray tracing. The Exynos 2600 also marks the debut of Samsung’s Exynos Neural Sampling (ENSS) technology, which uses AI-based upscaling and frame generation to offer smoother gameplay without massively affecting the battery life.
What about AI and cameras?
The Exynos 2600 has more AI improvements than just gaming, as it includes an upgraded NPU, which is stated to deliver a 113% increase in AI performance compared to the previous Exynos chip. Add to this the promised support for Arm’s SME2 instructions, and you could see larger and more complex generative AI running on-device, and with reduced latency.
Samsung also revealed that the Exynos 2600 has an integrated Image Signal Processor (ISP) that is 50% more power efficient and supports cameras of up to 320MP, while enabling zero shutter lag for 108MP shots. The chip supports 8K recording at 30FPS and 4K at 120FPS with HDR, as well as Samsung’s APV codec for higher quality video. Plus, the new Visual Perception System and Deep Video Noise Reduction features reportedly offer improved low-light image quality as well as learning to detect fine details like blinking.
Turn down the heat
Older Exynos chips have a long-standing reputation for overheating and thermal throttling, especially under heavy loads. To try and combat that, Samsung has implemented its new Heat Path Block (HPB) technology. The design aims to reduce the thermal resistance offered by the chip by up to 16%.
While this is good news, there is one possible issue, as noted by Android Authority, the Exynos 2600 appears to rely on a separate modem and connectivity chip. In comparison, the majority of Qualcomm’s chips — including the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 — have these built in. This could impact the power efficiency and heat management of the device as a whole.
Samsung has yet to confirm which markets will see Galaxy S26 series phones with an Exynos chip. However, reports indicate that Samsung started mass production of the chips in November, and rising prices could push more devices to feature the chip than originally expected. For now, all we can do is wait and see what Samsung unveils at the next Galaxy Unpacked, which is rumored to be occurring in late February.
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