Samsung may have more reasons to bring Exynos chips back to its flagships in 2026. Reports suggest the Exynos 2600 will be a 2nm processor, while Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 and MediaTek’s Dimensity 9500 will use TSMC’s 3nm process. Moreover, the Taiwanese foundry is expected to increase its prices, potentially making the new Snapdragon and Dimensity chips more expensive. Using the Exynos 2600 in the Galaxy S26 series could help Samsung keep prices in check.
Exynos 2600 could power the Galaxy S26 series
Samsung developed the Exynos 2500 with the Galaxy 25 series in mind, but unforeseen challenges disrupted those plans. Poor 3nm yields and performance issues in its foundry division forced the company to exclusively use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite in its upcoming flagships. There were also reports that the Korean firm briefly considered MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 but ultimately decided against using it.
However, Samsung may go all out to ensure the Exynos 2600 is ready for the Galaxy S26 series. This effort isn’t just about boosting its foundry division’s revenue, but also a response to the rising cost of external processors. TSMC is reportedly hiking prices for its advanced 3nm and 5nm processes by 5-10% and its packaging solutions by 15-20%. These increases could substantially raise chip costs for Samsung, making an in-house solution more appealing.
There are already rumors about a price hike for the Galaxy S25 series due to the rising costs of the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor. Samsung wouldn’t want to increase its flagship prices again in 2026. The challenge lies in how quickly its foundry division can improve its performance. Its 2nm yield is reportedly still hovering around 20%, far below the threshold needed for mass production. It remains to be seen if the Korean behemoth can pull this off and launch the Galaxy S26 phones with the 2nm Exynos 2600 processor, at least in some regions if not globally.
