Samsung’s next flagship series, the Galaxy S26, is expected to launch in early 2026 with a mix of chipsets. According to GizmoChina, the European version will feature the Exynos 2600 chip, while other regions will get the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2.
Returning to a Familiar Strategy
Samsung has historically used different chipsets for its flagship phones in various regions. However, the Galaxy S25 series, launched in early 2025, broke this trend by using the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip globally due to Exynos production issues. Now, it seems Samsung is going back to its old strategy.
A source on X, @Jukanlosreve, claims Samsung plans to use the Exynos 2600 chip in the Galaxy S26 series, but production problems with the 2-nanometer process might limit its availability to European models. Other regions will likely get the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 chip.
Chipset Split for Galaxy S26 Models
The source also reports that the chipset split will apply to the standard Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+ models. However, the top-of-the-line Galaxy S26 Ultra will use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 chip worldwide, following the same strategy as the Galaxy S24 Ultra in 2024.
Samsung has long used Exynos chips in its European flagship phones, despite some performance issues. The company claims to have improved the Exynos 2600’s performance, reducing power consumption by 15-25%.
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