- We have clues about the Galaxy S26’s processor choices
- A mix of Exynos and Snapdragon is now expected
- Chipset choice varies by country
Every time Samsung launches a new flagship Galaxy series, we wait to see which one will use Qualcomm chipsets and which will go with Samsung’s own Exynos brand – and a new leak may have given us the answer for the Galaxy S26 line of phones.
According to evidence seen by the SamMobile team, the Samsung S26 Pro (the standard model) and S26 Plus will use the Exynos 2600, while the S26 Edge and S26 Ultra are expected to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor.
However, the SamMobile report also states that the Snapdragon processor “could” be used in all models sold in the US and China, which is a strategy Samsung has used before (although it has used so many strategies in the past that it’s hard to be sure).
Samsung is certainly saving money by using its own Exynos chips, but questions arise over whether or not they can match the performance levels of their Qualcomm counterparts – questions that will no doubt be asked again in 2026.
New year, new phones
You might be surprised to see the Galaxy S26 Plus mentioned there, if you had seen the rumors that the model was canceled in favor of the Galaxy S26 Edge. More recently, it was suggested that the Plus model would be in production again.
As for the Galaxy S26 renamed Galaxy S26 Pro, this doesn’t seem to be much more than a branding exercise. It will remain the most affordable of the phone series, while the Ultra will once again be the model with the most power and the most features.
Earlier this year, we saw the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, fully equipped with Snapdragon processors – apparently due to production issues with the Exynos 2500 chipset, which eventually appeared in the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7.
We’ll have to wait and see what Samsung decides to do next: if it sticks to its usual schedule, the four expected Galaxy S26 phones will be revealed sometime in January, and we’ll bring you all the announcements here.
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