Key Takeaways
1. Samsung is planning to return to using its own Exynos chips, starting with the Galaxy S26 series, primarily in European markets.
2. The Exynos 2600 chipset will be limited in availability due to low production yields, despite improvements to over 40%.
3. Qualcomm Snapdragon processors are expected to continue dominating performance, with a “clear” edge over Exynos chips.
4. Samsung’s System LSI division faced significant financial losses when switching from Exynos to Snapdragon in the Galaxy S25 series.
5. The Exynos 2600 is being manufactured on a 2nm process, with hopes to reach a production yield of 70% to 80% for mass production soon.
Since the launch of the Galaxy S23 series in 2023, Samsung has been equipping its Galaxy S series with Qualcomm Snapdragon processors across all markets. However, it appears that the company might be going back to its former practice of utilizing its own Exynos chips in certain regions, beginning with the upcoming Galaxy S26 series.
Samsung’s Shift in Strategy
A recent update on X from Jukanlosreve (@Jukanlosreve) indicates that Samsung plans to use the Exynos 2600 for the Galaxy S26 series. Nonetheless, due to production issues, this chipset will predominantly be found in European versions of the phone.
The report mentions that the low production yield is the primary reason for limiting the Exynos 2600’s availability. Yet, even with improved yields, it’s doubtful Samsung would distribute this chip in all areas, as previous models, like the Galaxy S23, offered Snapdragon-powered versions in key markets like the U.S. and China.
Performance Concerns
In addition to yield issues, the source has noted that the Exynos 2600 does not perform as well as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipsets. According to them, Snapdragon models have a “clear” edge in performance over their Exynos counterparts.
Even with this performance gap, which has historically existed between Exynos and Snapdragon versions of the same devices, it seems Samsung will not abandon the Exynos 2600. This is largely due to a report that Samsung’s System LSI division, responsible for processor design and development, lost around $400 million when they replaced the Exynos 2500 with the Snapdragon 8 Elite in the Galaxy S25 series, which is currently priced at $777.99 on Amazon.
Future Production Expectations
The Exynos 2600 is said to be manufactured on Samsung’s 2nm process using Gate-All-Around technology. Although production yields are still low, reports suggest they have improved to over 40% this year. There is hope that they will achieve the target yield of 70% to 80% necessary for mass production in the coming months.
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