According to SamMobile, Samsung is planning a major chipset strategy shift for its Galaxy S26 series that would see Exynos processors take the lead role. The company reportedly believes it can produce tens of millions of Exynos 2600 chips to supply the entire lineup, with both the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+ using Exynos exclusively in all global markets. Only the Galaxy S26 Ultra would potentially offer Snapdragon variants, and even then only in the United States, China, and Japan. In Samsung’s home market of South Korea, all models including the Ultra would apparently be Exynos-only. This represents a dramatic reversal from recent years where Snapdragon dominated most flagship Galaxy models outside specific regions.
The Exynos comeback tour
Here’s the thing: Samsung has been playing this chipset dance for years. They’ll push Exynos hard, then pull back when performance or efficiency doesn’t match Qualcomm’s offerings. But this time feels different. They’re talking about producing tens of millions of chips and making Exynos the default for their most important devices. That’s a massive commitment.
And honestly? It makes business sense. Using your own chips means you’re not paying Qualcomm’s premium. You control the supply chain. You integrate everything more tightly. But the trade-off has always been performance. Remember the Exynos 2200 with its AMD GPU partnership? That was supposed to be the game-changer, but it ended up being… fine. Just fine.
Will customers actually care?
So what happens when someone in Europe wants a Galaxy S26 Ultra but can only get the Exynos version? There will definitely be grumbling. The tech enthusiast crowd has long preferred Snapdragon variants, sometimes going to ridiculous lengths to import them.
But here’s the reality: most people don’t know what chip is in their phone. They care about battery life, camera quality, and whether their apps run smoothly. If Samsung can deliver that with Exynos, does the brand on the chip really matter? Probably not. The success of this strategy hinges entirely on whether the Exynos 2600 can genuinely compete with whatever Qualcomm has cooking for 2026.
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manufacturing-gamble”>The manufacturing gamble
Producing tens of millions of flagship chips isn’t something you decide on a whim. Samsung’s foundry business has had its struggles competing with TSMC, but they’ve been investing heavily. This move suggests they’re confident they can deliver at scale with competitive yields.
Basically, Samsung is betting big on itself. They’re saying “we can design and manufacture chips that are good enough for our most demanding customers.” That’s a bold statement when you consider that the Galaxy S series competes directly with iPhones using Apple’s custom silicon and other Android flagships running the latest Snapdragons.
The next two years of Exynos development will be absolutely crucial. If they nail the Exynos 2600, this could be the beginning of Samsung truly controlling its own destiny. If they stumble? Well, let’s just say the Snapdragon fans will have plenty to say about it.
