While we’ve yet to see the Galaxy S25 series in action, the processor for the Galaxy S26 series is already starting to come into the spotlight. The Galaxy S26 series will most likely be packing the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. There are also rumors that Exynos might make a return in select markets, but it’s still early days, given the current state of Samsung Foundry.
Galaxy S26 series’ Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 might launch earlier than expected
Reliable tipster Digital Chat Station has spilled the beans on Weibo (in chinese). They say that Qualcomm is fast-tracking the development of the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. This suggests that the Galaxy S26 series could see its Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 hit the shelves sooner than the current iteration.
You’re probably itching for a specific release timeline, and so are we. The tipster didn’t drop any hard dates. But since the Snapdragon 8 Elite was unveiled in October, it’s reasonable to wonder if we’ll see the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 make its debut around the middle of the year. Time will tell.
Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 will be majorly improved, tipster says
The upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 (SM8850), according to the same source, is set to bring some major improvements. While Digital Chat Station doesn’t go into specifics, they do hint that more makers are betting on it.
Given how Qualcomm’s chips are outshining competitors in the dust, it’s safe to say we can expect some serious advancements. The Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 is also rumored to use TSMC’s N3P node, while still sticking to TSMC’s 3nm process.
For what it’s worth, AI is here to stay. That means more genAI features will be rolling out. What do these AI features need to run smoothly on-device? In a nutshell, powerful processors. So, it’s not hard to predict that we’ll see significant upgrades in the Galaxy S26 series to support this.
