The clock is ticking fast, and weโre already talking about the Galaxy S26 series. Thatโs not unusual, considering development is moving at full speed. Weโve already heard a few things about the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and now the spotlight is on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2, which could power the entire lineup. In a bit of a surprise, the first benchmarks for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 have allegedly surfaced.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 benchmarks are out already
To be fair, Qualcomm will take its time to release the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 (or Snapdragon 8 Elite 2), likely in the third quarter of 2025. But that hasnโt stopped the leaks. One such leak (via Jukanlosreve) claims that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 (SM8850) brings a solid performance boost. The upgrade isnโt as significant as the first Snapdragon 8 Elite, which introduced Oryon cores and 3nm technology. Still, the Elite 2 delivers improved CPU and GPU performance.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 scores 4,000 in single-core and 13,000 in multi-core tests on Geekbench 6. That marks a 25% and 20% improvement over its predecessor, respectively. Qualcomm retains the Oryon CPU cores and TSMCโs 3nm process but enhances efficiency and speed. The Adreno 840 GPU runs at 1.35GHz, up from the Adreno 830โs 1.1GHz, boosting graphics performance.
Of course, there are some conflicting reports. One suggests that Samsung is heavily betting on the Exynos 2600 for the Galaxy S26 series. The chips will reportedly be built using a 2nm (SF2) process, and given the ill-fated Exynos 2500, Samsung wants to make sure it plays its cards right. However, that doesnโt rule out the possibility of Samsung skipping Snapdragon chips altogether. One reason is the growing partnership between the two tech giants, and another is how well-optimized Snapdragon chips tend to be compared to Samsungโs in-house processors.
