Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S26 series might use Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 chip if Samsung’s own Exynos 2600 chip isn’t ready in time, according to Sam Mobile.
Qualcomm is reportedly moving its chipset launch event to September, hinting that Samsung is planning to go all-in with Snapdragon again—just like it did for the Galaxy S25. Last year, Samsung’s mobile chief TM Roh attended Qualcomm’s summit, further showing Samsung’s interest in Snapdragon chips.
Launching the chip earlier could also set up a direct competition with Apple’s new iPhone and MediaTek’s upcoming Dimensity 9500 chip, both expected around the same time.
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What’s New with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2?
- The chip may come with improved “Pegasus” cores, reaching speeds up to 5GHz during testing.
- It might support the new LPDDR6 RAM.
- It’s also expected to include a new Adreno 840 GPU and a larger 32MB L2 cache.
Qualcomm and MediaTek will both use TSMC’s advanced 3nm chip-making technology (N3P) for their new processors. MediaTek’s chip is also expected in September. Phones with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 may start arriving in October, just like last year.
Samsung vs. Apple
Samsung might open pre-orders for the Galaxy S26 earlier than usual, possibly launching the phone in December to compete with Apple’s iPhone 17.
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Samsung originally wanted to use its Exynos 2500 chip for the Galaxy S25, but production issues led to limited availability. Now, reports suggest that Samsung has improved its new 3nm chip production to 40% efficiency, and the Exynos 2600 might be ready by November if progress continues.
Would you like a visual comparison chart of Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 vs. Exynos 2600?
