Samsung’s upcoming Exynos 2600 has turned heads after making a surprise appearance on Geekbench, where it posted scores that beat out the Snapdragon 8 Elite and even pushed close to Apple’s A18 Pro. With single-core results at 3,309 and multi-core at 11,256, the chip is shaping up to be a serious contender. 
By comparison, the Snapdragon 8 Elite inside the Galaxy S25 managed 2,865 and 9,487, while Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro with the A18 Pro scored 3,447 and 8,575.
These numbers suggest Samsung’s 2 nm silicon might finally give its Exynos line the performance boost it has been chasing. But benchmarks don’t tell the whole story. The real challenge lies in production. Samsung’s foundries have reportedly struggled to stabilize yields for 2 nm manufacturing, raising questions about whether the chip can be produced in high enough volume for mass-market devices.
That’s why some analysts believe the Galaxy S26 lineup may once again rely heavily on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2, which is already finalized and tested for consistent availability. Samsung could mirror its approach from the Galaxy S25 cycle, where the Exynos 2500 missed the flagship launch and instead made its debut later in the year with the Galaxy Z Flip 7.
If Samsung does move forward with the Exynos 2600, it may adopt a split strategy – Snapdragon models in certain regions and Exynos variants in others. While the raw Geekbench results look like an Exynos comeback, the production roadblocks mean Qualcomm still holds the safer card, at least for now.
What’s clear is that Samsung isn’t backing down from the chip race. Whether it’s with the Exynos 2600 or Snapdragon exclusivity, the competition against Apple and Qualcomm remains fierce – and that’s only good news for consumers waiting for faster, more efficient phones.
1 comment
now thats an ass whooping lol