SAMSUNG

Galaxy S26’s Exynos 2600 benchmark leak hints at major performance gap between variants

Samsung’s Galaxy S26 may still be months away, but early buzz around its next-gen chip is already heating up. A fresh leak sheds light on the Exynos 2600 processor, which is expected to power most versions of the S26 series—and it paints a familiar picture of regional performance differences.

According to tipster @OreXda on X, the Exynos 2600—Samsung’s upcoming 2nm chipset—has now been properly benchmarked using updated production yield estimates. Earlier figures were based on a 10% yield, but with the more accurate 40% yield (in line with Samsung Foundry’s current 2nm output), the Exynos 2600 reportedly scores around 2,950 in single-core and 10,200 in multi-core performance on Geekbench 6. That’s a solid improvement—roughly 20% and 15% higher than the Exynos 2400 found in this year’s Galaxy S24.

But while the numbers are promising, they may still leave some users disappointed. Compared to Qualcomm’s current Snapdragon 8 Elite, which already scores higher in single-core (3,155) and comes close in multi-core (9,723), the Exynos 2600 appears to fall slightly behind. And that’s not even taking into account the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 of the S26 Ultra, which is rumored to reach over 4,000 in single-core and 11,000 in multi-core benchmarks.

What does that mean for Galaxy fans? Samsung is widely expected to fall back to its dual-chip strategy for the Galaxy S26 series—using Exynos 2600 in most global markets, while reserving the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 for the US, China, and possibly other select regions. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is reportedly sticking with Snapdragon globally, but the base S26 and S26+ (or S26 Edge) models could once again vary widely in performance, battery efficiency, and thermal stability depending on where you buy them.

It’s a déjà vu moment for long-time Samsung users, many of whom have criticized the company in the past for offering inconsistent performance across its flagship lineup. Unless Samsung pulls off something surprising in optimization, the Exynos-Snapdragon gap could once again be a deciding factor for buyers when the Galaxy S26 series launches in early 2026.

mundophone