Samsung Exynos 2600 Teased Ahead of Galaxy S26 Release — Buyers Brace For Price Jump

The next major flagship launch is already on the horizon, and it brings a familiar source of anxiety. Samsung has started hinting at the arrival of the formidable Exynos 2600 chip, expected to power the upcoming Galaxy S26 line.

While anticipation builds for the next-generation performance, consumers are being warned to prepare for a significant increase in the cost of owning Samsung's latest premium smartphone.

A Strategy Shift: Moving Away from Qualcomm

The Exynos 2600, Samsung's next top mobile processor, is coming soon. This chip follows the Exynos 2500 and is expected to power the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 smartphone range.

This represents a change in Samsung's approach, as the firm may now fully utilise its own internal chips, having previously depended on external producers such as Qualcomm for its latest high-end phones.

The Exynos 2600, manufactured by Samsung Foundry, is expected to deliver better performance than its predecessor and could also help the company lower device manufacturing costs.

The Exynos 2600: Details Released

Samsung formally hinted at the Exynos 2600 in a YouTube clip posted on Wednesday. This short, 30-second video featured a 'coming soon' title and highlighted the processor as 'refined at the core,' suggesting major system improvements. The company also states that the Exynos 2600 has been 'optimised at every level.'

Gadgets 360 predicts the Exynos 2600 chip could debut in the Samsung Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra models early next year. Following the pattern of older models, the Galaxy S26 range in countries such as China, the US, and Japan may arrive equipped with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chips.

However, consumers in regions such as South Korea and Europe will instead receive the devices featuring the Exynos 2600.

Moving to 2nm Tech Marks a Major Step

Although the full technical breakdown for the Exynos 2600 remains unpublished, earlier reports suggest it is constructed using Samsung Foundry's advanced 2nm manufacturing process. It is also rumoured to include better artificial intelligence functions, positioning it to challenge rival products from Qualcomm and Apple.

The new processor, identified by the model number S5E9965, previously appeared on the Geekbench site, with single-core and multi-core scores of 3,047 and 10,025, respectively.

The Exynos 2600 will likely feature a 6+3+1 arrangement, with six cores running at 2.46 GHz and three at 2.96 GHz. The main core is tipped to hit a maximum speed of 3.55GHz.

For the Galaxy S25 series, Samsung chose the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor across the lineup. Before that, the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ were released using the Exynos 2400 SoC in specific countries.

A Strategy Shift: Moving Away from Qualcomm

Bringing back its own Exynos processors will allow the South Korean business to lessen its dependence on Qualcomm. This approach may also revitalise the firm's System LSI and foundry sections.

The Galaxy S26 launch will serve as a definitive test for Samsung's revived chip strategy. The Exynos 2600 brings impressive technical promises, including cutting-edge 2nm architecture and significant AI gains. However, this internal development may not be enough to shield consumers from industry-wide inflation.

With the cost of memory and camera components rising globally, experts anticipate the new flagship devices will be noticeably more expensive than their predecessors. The next few months will reveal whether performance upgrades can justify the unavoidable cost increase for buyers.