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Alleged Galaxy S26 Ultra benchmark scores dispel a "fantasy"

Even an underclocked version of the Snapdragon Galaxy S26 Ultra variant gave a good fight against the Exynos model.

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By Anam Hamid

Published: Jan 12, 2026, 4:45 AM

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Galaxy S26 Ultra | Image Credit - Steve H.McFly

The upcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra will be noticeably speedier than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, if alleged benchmark scores shared online by eminent leaker Ice Universe are anything to go by. That's not really surprising, considering that the phone is underpinned by a custom version of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip.

The scores suggest that Snapdragon variants will continue to outdo Exynos models, shattering the "fantasy" of Samsung's home-brewed chip finally taking the lead.

Snapdragon is still the best chip for the Galaxy S26 Ultra

An underclocked version of the Galaxy S26 Ultra has shown up on Geekbench. | Image Credit - Ice Universe

The US variant of the Galaxy S26 Ultra apparently posted a single-core score of 3,466 and a multi-core score of 11,035. That's a considerable improvement over the Galaxy S25 Ultra's single-core and multi-core scores of 3,137 and 9,769, respectively.

The actual performance may be even better, as the chip wasn't configured to its highest frequency during the test.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 has two prime cores that can run at 4.6GHz and six performance cores that can be clocked as high as 3.6GHz.

The test device had the high-performance cores running at 4.19GHz. Ice believes that at its maximum configuration, the Galaxy S26 Ultra's single-core score could touch 3,920.

The leaker has also silenced rumors that said the Exynos 2600, which will power the Galaxy S26 series in some markets, will surpass the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

Yes, but what about multi-core supremacy?

While Qualcomm's latest chip may maintain its traditional edge over Samsung's Exynos 2600, the latter does have one definitive edge: it's based on the more advanced 2nm manufacturing tech, while the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is manufactured on the 3nm node.

Notice how Ice only mentioned the potential single-core score when declaring the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5's lead. Previously leaked benchmark scores have hinted at a 3,309 single-core score and an 11,256 multi-core score for the Exynos 2600.

Of course, that doesn't mean the Exynos 2600-powered Galaxy S26 Ultra will be faster. It just means that the two variants will likely excel in different areas. The benchmark results also tell us nothing about sustained performance, so the debate about which chip is better is far from settled.

Besides, a reference device with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 inside scored more than 12,000 points in the multi-core test, so Qualcomm's chip might be the overall superior option.

Which Galaxy S26 Ultra variant is going to be faster?

Keeping all customers happy

Even if the Exynos 2600 doesn't beat the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in benchmark performance, the leaked scores indicate the two are pretty close in performance. This means that no matter which variant of the Galaxy S26 Ultra you get, it will be quite snappy.

While Snapdragon chips are perceived to be superior to Samsung's Exynos chips, the rising prices of components mean customers would benefit from the use of in-house components. A report has already said that Samsung is spending less money on Exynos-powered Galaxy S26 models, though those savings won't be passed down to customers.

If anything, all Galaxy S26 models will likely cost more, and if Samsung continues relying on Qualcomm, the trend will likely persist into the future. That's why it's a promising sign that the Exynos 2600 has narrowed the performance gap with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.

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