Galaxy S26 series: Exynos 2600 pricing push and performance ambitions

Samsung is quietly preparing one of the most important Galaxy launches in years. The upcoming Galaxy S26 family, expected to debut around February, will not only refresh the design and cameras but also mark a serious comeback for Samsung’s in-house Exynos silicon.

After a few generations of mixed reception, the company is once again ready to lean heavily on its own chip in mainstream flagship models.

According to industry leaks, the standard Galaxy S26 and the larger S26+ are slated to ship with the new Exynos 2600 in most markets, including Samsung’s home turf of South Korea and key European countries. North American buyers, however, will reportedly see a familiar pattern: their S26 and S26+ units are said to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen Elite 5 instead. At the very top of the lineup, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to stick with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon solution worldwide, mirroring Samsung’s recent “all-Snapdragon” Ultra strategy.

A report from South Korean outlet ChosunBiz claims that Samsung Electronics’ System LSI division, which designs Exynos chips, is currently negotiating with the MX (Mobile eXperience) division to cut the internal price of each Exynos 2600 unit by roughly $20–$30. That is not a coupon for buyers at checkout, but an internal transfer price that directly affects Samsung’s cost structure and profits.

In practice, this discount is more likely to boost Samsung’s margins on every Exynos-powered Galaxy S26 and S26+ than to translate into visibly cheaper phones on store shelves. The company could, of course, decide to pass some of the savings on through launch promotions, aggressive carrier deals, or by offering more storage at the same price point, but the report primarily frames the move as a way to make Exynos models financially more attractive for Samsung itself compared to their Snapdragon counterparts.

The Exynos 2600 itself looks ambitious on paper. It is expected to be manufactured on Samsung’s cutting-edge 2 nm process, a crucial step that should help with both performance and power efficiency. Inside, the chip allegedly uses a modern deca-core 1+3+6 CPU layout with peak clocks of up to 3.8 GHz for the prime core. If these figures hold true, the S26 and S26+ could see noticeable gains in responsiveness, multitasking, and gaming compared to previous Exynos generations.

Early benchmark numbers circulating in the industry paint an even more aggressive picture. The Exynos 2600 is reportedly positioned to beat the Snapdragon 8 Gen Elite 5 by around 29% in graphics performance, which would be a big deal for mobile gaming, high-refresh-rate displays, and advanced camera features that rely heavily on the GPU. Leaks also suggest that, on paper, the Exynos 2600 delivers roughly 14% higher CPU performance and up to 75% faster GPU scores than Apple’s A19 Pro chip expected in the iPhone 17 Pro line.

Still, seasoned smartphone buyers know that benchmark charts tell only part of the story. Real-world experience depends on sustained performance, heat management, modem stability, camera processing, and software optimization. Exynos chips have historically struggled in some of these areas, leading many power users in Europe and other Exynos regions to prefer Snapdragon variants when they could get them. Samsung therefore has more at stake than just numbers: the Galaxy S26 series will be a crucial test of whether the Exynos brand can finally shake its reputation.

If Samsung delivers on the promise of the Exynos 2600 – combining strong benchmark results with efficient thermals and polished software – the Galaxy S26 and S26+ could become far more compelling choices in markets that previously felt like second-class citizens next to Snapdragon-equipped regions. And with the S26 Ultra expected to stay firmly in Snapdragon territory worldwide, buyers who absolutely want Qualcomm silicon will still have a clear upgrade path at the top end of Samsung’s flagship lineup.