āMass Production This Monthā ā Samsung Exynos 2600 Likely to Be Installed in Galaxy S26
Samsung Electronics has completed development of its next-generation smartphone application processor (AP), the Exynos 2600, and is scheduled to begin mass production at the end of this month. With the chip virtually confirmed to be applied to the Galaxy S26 seriesāSamsungās flagship smartphone to be unveiled early next yearāexpectations are rising that this could mark the starting point for a rebound in Samsungās non-memory (System LSI and Foundry) business. In particular, the Exynos 2600 is Samsungās first chip produced with its 2-nanometer gate-all-around (GAA) process, and the performance verification results are expected to be a key variable influencing the future landscape of global foundry competition.
ā S26 Adoption Virtually Confirmed
According to industry sources on the 14th, Samsung is showing significant confidence in the completeness of its next-generation AP, the Exynos 2600. At a recent internal meeting, executives reportedly emphasized that āthe Exynos 2600 clearly outperforms its predecessor (2500),ā while also mentioning that mass production is scheduled for the end of this month and strongly hinting at its adoption in the S26.
Yong-In Park, head of Samsungās System LSI business division (President), also stated to reporters at an event in July: āWe are steadily preparing the Exynos 2600ā and added, āThere will be good results.ā
The Exynos 2600, Samsung Foundryās first flagship chip to use the 2nm GAA process, is expected to deliver improved power efficiency and heat control compared to its predecessor. A new thermal management solution called the āHeat Path Block (HPB)ā is also set to be applied, drawing attention from a stability perspective.
Expectations are backed by actual performance metrics. According to Geekbench, a performance measurement site, benchmark scores from what is believed to be the Exynos 2600 showed 3,309 points for single-core and 11,256 points for multi-core performance. Compared to its previous test results (single-core average 2,575 points, multi-core 8,761 points), the performance improved significantly in a short time. This puts it on par with Qualcommās next-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 (single-core 3,393 points, multi-core 11,515 points), which is expected to be featured in the Galaxy S26 series.
ā Return to the S Series After 2 Years
Exynos has long been considered less competitive than Qualcomm due to issues such as heat generation, power efficiency, and foundry yield instability. Samsung excluded Exynos entirely from the Galaxy S23 and S25 series, equipping them only with Qualcomm chips. Exynos made a comeback this year with the Galaxy Z Flip 7, which was equipped with the Exynos 2500, and its adoption in the flagship Galaxy S series will mark its return after two years since the Galaxy S24 in 2024.
If the Exynos 2600 is confirmed for the S26 series, Samsungās System LSI, Foundry, and MX (Mobile eXperience) divisions are all expected to see tangible benefits. In the first half of this year, the MX divisionās raw material cost for mobile APs rose 29% year-on-year to 7.7899 trillion won from 6.0275 trillion won, with a large portion attributed to Qualcomm procurement. Expanding the share of its own Exynos chips would help the MX division reduce costs, while the System LSI division could regain momentum by once again supplying its own chips to Samsungās flagship smartphones.
For Samsung Foundry in particular, stable supply of the Exynos 2600 would help restore credibility and positively influence its ability to secure external clients. In fact, Samsung has recently demonstrated its technological prowess by winning high-profile contracts such as Teslaās next-generation AI chips and Appleās image sensors.
