Samsung is said to have made a final decision on the processor for its upcoming Galaxy S26 lineup — and it’s not the homegrown Exynos 2600. Instead, all models in the series are expected to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2, following recent reports indicating the chip won’t come with the steep price increase that was initially feared.

According to the latest information, Samsung has aligned with this choice, opting for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 across the entire Galaxy S26 range.

Galaxy S26 series to feature Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite2, built on TSMC's process and clocked at 4.74GHz.

— PhoneArt (@UniverseIce) July 24, 2025

This decision is likely a blow to Samsung’s ambitions for its in-house silicon, as the company had been pushing hard to perfect the 2 nm Exynos 2600 for its 2026 flagship smartphones. However, delays in Samsung Foundry’s 2 nm production process appear to have forced the company’s hand.

This scenario feels familiar. With the Galaxy S25 series, Samsung aimed to launch the Exynos 2500 but ultimately delayed it. That chip later surfaced in the Galaxy Z Flip 7. A similar path may now be set for the Exynos 2600, potentially debuting in the Galaxy Z Flip 8 next year.

For users who have preferred Snapdragon-powered Galaxy devices over Exynos variants, two consecutive years of Snapdragon flagships could be a welcome trend.

I’ve long hoped for Exynos to break through, but it continues to face significant hurdles. If Samsung Foundry can refine its manufacturing processes, Exynos could one day deliver the kind of transformative performance boost Apple’s silicon brought to Macs. That vision remains distant, but Samsung hasn’t given up.

There is some hope: recent reports suggest Samsung has reached a 50% yield rate for its 2 nm chips. If yields improve to the industry-standard 70%, an Exynos version of the S26 series might still emerge — though at this point, it seems highly improbable.

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