Samsung’s Exynos 2600 might finally achieve what the Exynos 2500 couldn’t. The company developed the Exynos 2500 specifically for the Galaxy S25 series, even calling it the “dream chip” internally. However, yield and performance issues delayed its production, forcing Samsung to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite. It appears the Korean firm will bounce back strongly with the Exynos 2600 for the Galaxy S26 next year.
The Exynos 2600 could be Samsung’s delayed “dream chip”
Samsung has been struggling with the poor performance of its in-house Exynos processors for years, so much so that it has increased the use of Qualcomm and MediaTek chips in Galaxy phones. However, the company knows this is the most cost-effective move and wants to improve the Exynos chips. A couple of years back, its smartphone unit teamed up with the semiconductor division to work on a special processor.
According to the Korean media, the so-called “dream chip” was developed with the S series flagships in mind. The two business divisions worked closely for deeper hardware and software integration. The Galaxy S25 series was supposed to debut the first-gen version, the Exynos 2500. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse, and Samsung has yet to launch that chip.
From what’s available on the internet, the Korean behemoth could never stabilize its 3nm process to achieve a healthy yield rate — the Exynos 2500 is is first 3nm mobile processor. This chip may now launch later this year, powering the Galaxy Z Flip 7. That’s if the yield rate improves enough within a limited timeframe. Otherwise, Samsung might have to cancel it — Samsung also canceled the Exynos 2300 a few years ago.
Meanwhile, the company has shifted its focus to the Exynos 2600, upgrading to the 2nm process. Rumors suggest that Samsung still has a poor 2nm yield, but it expects things to improve soon. Now, a reputed tipster says that “the Exynos 2600 is definitely back,” and it will power the Galaxy S26 series next year.
Samsung wants to ditch Snapdragon, but it looks difficult
While it’s encouraging for Samsung fans — and the tech industry as a whole, as this means more competition in the chip market — the tipster adds that the Exynos 2600 won’t power the entire Galaxy S26 lineup. “It’ll likely be similar to the Exynos 990 situation,” they say. The Exynos 990 powered the Galaxy S20 series in global markets, but Samsung shipped the 2020 flagships with the Snapdragon 865 in the US and select other regions.
If true, we could see the Exynos 2600 inside the Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra in some regions and the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 in the rest of the world. According to the source, this is because of limited volume. This means Samsung’s 2nm production capacity remains low, and it won’t improve enough in time for the 2026 flagships.
The tipster also has reservations about the performance of Samsung’s 2nm SF2 process. “I’m not sure if SF2 is actually any good,” they posted on X. All of this suggests the company is trying hard to finally launch its dream chip, but it has its task cut out. The ultimate goal is to ditch Snapdragon and ship Galaxy S flagships with Exynos processors globally. However, Samsung knows it’s easier said than done.
A separate “leak” from @Vhsss_God reconfirms that the Exynos 2600 is Samsung’s “dream chip” to replace Snapdragon in Galaxy flagships. Time will tell whether the company can make this happen or if the story will continue for another year, i.e., the Exynos 2700 and the Galaxy S27 series.
