The Samsung Exynos 2600 application processor (AP) is the most powerful Exynos AP ever built. Not only did it perform well on a Geekbench benchmark test coming close to the scores put up by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 AP, it also will be the first AP to power a smartphone that was built using a 2nm process node. Similar to the 3nm Exynos 2500, the Exynos 2600 will employ Gate-All-Around transistors (GAA).
The Exynos 2600 will use Gate-All-Around transistors for improved performance and efficiency
With FinFET transistors, which are still used by TSMC for its 3nm production (which includes the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5), the gate covers the channel on three of the four sides of the channel. GAA transistors use horizontal nanosheets that are vertically positioned to allow the gate to cover all four sides of the channel. This prevents current leaks and improves the drive current. The latter is the amount of electrical current that flows through a transistor when it is fully "switched on."
The advantage of using GAA transistors for an application processor is that they make these chips more powerful and energy efficient. The reason why the Exynos 2600 AP will use GAA transistors has to do with Samsung Foundry, which replaced FinFET with GAA starting with its 3nm production. As for TSMC, it has started switching to GAA with its 2nm chip manufacturing this year. Besides improvements in energy efficiency, the use of the 2nm process allows Samsung to state that the Exynos 2600 will deliver up to a 39% CPU performance improvement over the Exynos 2500.
The new chipset uses a 1+3+6 Decacore configuration
The Exynos 2600 is a decacore chipset with a configuration of 1+3+6. This includes one performance core running at a clock speed of up to 3.80GHz, a trio of performance cores running as fast as 3.25GHz, and six efficiency cores with a clock speed up to 2.75GHz. The GPU will be the Xclipse 960, the first smartphone GPU made on the 2nm GAA process node. The GPU is based on AMD's RDNA 4 architecture which supports as much as a 50% hike in ray tracing, The chipset supports LPDDR5X RAM.
The Galaxy S26 series should launch in late January or mid-February next year. The Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+ could be powered by the Exynos 2600 AP in South Korea, Europe, Key Asian markets, and in developing countries. In the U.S., China, and Japan, those models will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. In all markets, the Galaxy S26 Ultra will be equipped with the 3nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 AP.
The Exynos 2600 is the first mobile AP to have this "cool" feature
The Exynos 2600 is the first mobile SoC with a Heat Path Blocker. | Image credit-Samsung
The Exynos 2600 AP improves how Samsung Foundry is viewed in the industry after having yield issues with its advanced process nodes over the last few years. With a market share of approximately 6-8% of the global foundry market compared to TSMC's leading 70-71%, Samsung Foundry might be the clear number two player in the industry, but it still trails TSMC by a large margin. If the Exynos 2600 is a big winner for Samsung, that success could also rub off on Samsung Foundry.
This could be a major turnaround for the Exynos brand and for Samsung Foundry
The foundry has reportedly hiked its yield from a figure in the low 30% range to one in the 50-60% area. This allows Samsung to manufacture more usable chipsets using fewer wafers keeping costs down. It was supposedly the low yield problem last year that prevented Samsung Foundry from building enough Exynos 2500 SoCs for the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+. As a result, Samsung had to spend $400 million more (according to one report) to equip those models with the Snapdragon 8 Elite instead of the Exynos 2500.
Is the Exynos 2600 the start of a turnaround for Exynos APs?
Yes. Exynos will challenge Snapdragon and Dimensity.
43.9%
No. Let's see how it performs in the Galaxy S26 first.
56.1%
82 Votes
That this is not happening with the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+ is a sign that the Exynos APs are ready to take on Qualcomm's top Snapdragon APs along with MediaTek's Dimensity processors. It also could be the start of a more competitive Samsung Foundry as it hopes to grab market share away from TSMC.
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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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