Samsung’s Galaxy S series looks more likely than ever to split their silicon once again this time around, and that device loyalty might not be a universal win for the Qualcomm Snapdragon team in this cycle. That’s according to a range of reports and it seems that the Exynos 2600 has begun mass production on an ultra-advanced 2nm process, which is a big sign that Exynos power may come back to the S26 lineup in some territories at least.
What The New Reports Show About Exynos 2600 Production
Korean news outlet The Bell has reported that Samsung’s foundry is in volume production for Exynos 2600 and, importantly, the yield is up to around 50% this time from only about 30% in first runs. In semiconductor manufacturing, a significant bump in yield at the beginning of a node generally indicates that the chip is on track to being commercially ready (as opposed to stuck in the lab).
The 2600 is said to be Samsung’s first 2nm system-on-chip out of its fabs, so it puts the tech firm in a strong position for next-gen mobile silicon.
Dies are said to go to packaging soon after the first part now, which lines up with a realistic flagship phone window should that ramp stay on time. To put it simply: This no longer feels like a paper project.
Why A 2nm Exynos Matters For Next-Gen Phones
The jump to 2nm is not merely about claims to supremacy. With a smaller process node usually comes two of the good things: lower power draw and more performance at any given frequency. Samsung’s is implemented using gate-all-around nanosheet transistors, a structure designed to lower leakage current and increase drive effectiveness. For phones, that could mean cooler temperatures and longer battery life, with less throttling when performing an extended task.
Anticipate even more emphasis on on-device AI acceleration as well. In recent Exynos and Snapdragon silicon, NPU throughput generation to generation has grown in leaps and bounds. Should Samsung match its 2nm CPU cluster with a heightened NPU and next-gen ISP, the S26 may experience real-world performance boosts for in-the-moment photo processing, offline transcription services and generative functionality without really compromising on phone longevity.
Controlling Heat And Sustained Performance
Thermals have always been the bugbear for Exynos naysayers. Testing of previous generations of the chips in kernels from AnandTech and Notebookcheck found that Exynos chips ran hotter and throttled performance earlier than Snapdragon versions when running in the same phone. That history is what fuels the worry of Snapdragon fans keeping an eye on this rumor mill.
Samsung is this time said to be using a “heat pass block” in the 2600’s design, along with the smaller process node — a hardware-level change that’s apparently designed to better direct the heat away from those most temperature-sensitive zones on the die. When you pair this with the larger vapor chambers that are present in many flagship phones now, it could narrow the sustained performance gap in both gaming and 4K video capture where Exynos models have historically lagged.
Why The Dual-Chip Strategy Is Likely Here To Stay
Don’t expect a one-chip-fits-all strategy. There are familiar mutterings in the industry pointing towards a divide: the Exynos 2600 will run inside the Galaxy S26 for some markets, while other regions (and almost certainly its Ultra tier worldwide) will feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Samsung typically goes with a custom higher-clocked Snapdragon for its top device and that could happen again.
There are logistical reasons for running both arms. By diversifying suppliers, it de-risks initial ramps for the node, gives Samsung enhanced bargaining power and allows for targeted modem configurations. It also allows the company to tune thermals and performance per market, where climate conditions, network bands and user behavior vary. The caveat is that we’re leading to a fragmented user experience and a benchmark problem, which pisses off some buyers who want the “best” silicon no matter where they live.
The Backstory And What Changed For Exynos 2600
News of the delay to the Exynos 2500 meant Samsung’s mobile division wouldn’t have time for an Exynos-powered Galaxy S25, and shifted that chip towards a foldable instead, claimed The Bell. The 2600’s brisker-than-anticipated ramp and improved yields signal that some of the execution hiccups that had sparked internal tension and financial pain have been mitigated by the foundry team.
And if the 2600 also does go on to advance Samsung’s AMD-backed Xclipse GPU architecture, ready yourself for gaming stability that doesn’t give you a fuzzy headache and ray-tracing features that make sense to use beyond five minutes. The company doesn’t need to top every synthetic chart; it does need to provide consistent performance that stays cool and doesn’t crater after a few benchmark loops. That is the standard Snapdragon users will hold it to.
What To Watch Next As Exynos 2600 Nears Launch
Three indicators for how serious of an Exynos comeback we are in store for:
- 2nm yield momentum
- Packaging milestones
- Performance/efficiency numbers from engineering samples
Watch for timed GPU runs, AI inference per watt and thermals in high-bitrate video captures. Also look for memory pairings; closer LPDDR and UFS storage integration can quietly enable some speed and responsiveness gains.
For now, the moral is plain. The Exynos 2600 seems to be well in development and the Galaxy S26 may not just be a Snapdragon story. That might be a disappointment to any fans of Qualcomm’s run of form, but the existence of a competitive Exynos at 2nm would only be good for everyone—on performance, on pricing, and the raw innovation that can come when two heavyweight chipmakers shove each other.
