The Galaxy S26 series is "definitely" bringing back Exynos, writes leakster

2025-03-31

Delays threw a wrench in Samsung’s plans for the Exynos 2500, but its successor is developing on schedule – it is becoming increasingly more likely that Samsung will use the Exynos 2600 for the Galaxy S26 series.

The latest report comes from the reliable @Jukanlosreve, who writes “The Exynos 2600 is definitely back and it will be used in the S26. But the chip volume is so limited that it’ll likely be similar to the Exynos 990 situation.”

The Exynos 2600 will be fabbed on Samsung SF2, a 2nm Gate All Around (GAA) node. Here is a timeline of Samsung’s nodes from TrendForce:

SF2 uses third-generation GAA tech and promises 12% higher performance, 25% better power efficiency and a 5% reduction in chip area compared to SF3 (the 3nm node which will likely be used for the Exynos 2500).

We’re not sure what @Jukanlosreve means by the “Exynos 990 situation”. That chip was used in the Galaxy S20 and Note 20 series sold in most regions, except for the US, Canada and China. That was more of a “Qualcomm has patents and expensive lawyers” situation than one of limited supply. And the yield from the SF2 node is apparently pretty good (TrendForce reported a “higher-than-expected initial yield of over 30%”).

Anyway, Exynos 2600 should go into mass production in the final quarter of this year to meet the demand for the Galaxy S26 series production – the new flagships will most likely debut at the end of January or early February.

Source