We’ve heard countless rumors pointing to Samsung returning to the market of high-end flagship chips with its Exynos lineup. While the Exynos division still exists, multiple delays have been putting it away from Qualcomm or MediaTek. As a result, we saw the Samsung Galaxy S25 series coming with the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy instead of the Exynos 2500. This will change with the Exynos 2600. According to reliable leakster @Jukanlosreve, Samsung’s next flagship SoC is alive and on schedule for release with the Galaxy S26 series.
Exynos 2600 Will Be Ready for the Galaxy S26 lineup
According to the tipster, the “Exynos 2500 is definitively back and will be used in the Galaxy S25. However, the chip volume is so limited that it’ll likely be similar to the Exynos 990 situation”. It’s hard to understand exactly what the leakster means with the “Exynos 990” situation. To recall, the chip was used in the Galaxy S20 and Note 20 series sold in most regions, except for the US, Canada, and China. That was due to “Qualcomm has patents and expensive lawyers” rather than a situation of limited supply. The yield from the SF2 node is pretty good as TrendForce reported a “higher-than-expected initial yield of over 30%. The Exynos 2600 will be fabbed on Samsung SF2, a 2nm Gate All Around (GAA) note.
The SF2 uses third-generation GAA tech and promises 12% higher performance. It also promises 25% better power efficiency and a 5% reduction in chips. These numbers are compared to SF3 (the 3nm node probably coming with the Exynos 2500). While the Exynos 2500 didn’t come in time for the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, its presence in the market isn’t discarded. There are growing rumors that it could be used with the coming generation of Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.
The Exynos 2600 may go into mass production in the last quarter of this year. It should be able to meet the demand for the Samsung Galaxy S26 series.
Source: Giz China
