With Galaxy S26, Samsung may have initiated efforts to lean less on Qualcomm Snapdragon chips

An analyst doubt Samsung is investing so heavily in Exynos chips just to be content with a 25% share of the Galaxy S26 lineup.

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Samsung Galaxy S26 Exynos 2600 starting point
The Galaxy S26 may set the stage for a shift in Samsung's chip strategy, according to industry analyst Samir Khazaka.

Exynos has been resurrected



Samsung's new Exynos 2600 chip, which is destined for 25 percent of Galaxy S26 models, is the world's first smartphone chip made on 2nm tech. Its GPU is the first to use AMD's RDNA4 architecture. The chipset features the innovative Heat Path Block (HPB) technology to optimize thermal management.

The company is making significant strides, with 2027's Exynos 2800 chip rumored to use an in-house GPU.

Khazaka says that Samsung has been designing more of its own components, which is a sign that the ratio of Exynos chips used in Galaxy S phones will increase in the future. It wouldn't make sense for Samsung to keep pouring money into in-house component development only to maintain the same dynamic with Qualcomm.

Galaxy S26 could cost more than the Galaxy S25


Samsung has reportedly yet to set the Galaxy S26's price, even though it's scheduled to be announced in February. The constantly increasing prices of smartphone components have made it difficult for the company to maintain a competitive price point.

The decline in Exynos' competitiveness over the years explains why 75 percent of Galaxy S26 models will use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Samsung's increased focus on Exynos could help narrow the gap in performance with Snapdragon chips and reduce its reliance on Qualcomm. This will help Samsung keep costs in check, which is crucial given that Qualcomm has raised the price of its 8 Gen chips every year since the release of the first iteration.

Do you want more Galaxy S models to use Exynos chips?
Yes.
21.88%
No.
21.88%
Only if performance improves.
48.02%
Only if it leads to a price cut.
8.21%
329 Votes

2026 is crucial


Samsung's future strategy hinges on the success of the Exynos 2600. If the company's claims fall flat and the Exynos 2600 disappoints, it could derail Samsung's plan of equipping a greater proportion of its flagship handsets with home-brewed chips.

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