Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series is expected to launch in January 2026 — but the question of which chip will power the new flagships remains open. With Samsung pushing its in-house Exynos chips for more devices, a recent comment from a key executive has stirred fresh speculation about the Galaxy S26’s processor lineup.
At the NAEK Young Festival in Seoul, Park Yong-in, President of Samsung System LSI, spoke about the development of the Exynos 2600. While he sounded confident about the chip’s progress, Park stopped short of confirming whether it would be used in the Galaxy S26 series.
Earlier this year, Samsung MX — the mobile division — surprised many by using the Exynos 2500 in the Galaxy Z Flip7 and the Exynos 2400 in the Z Flip7 FE, breaking from its usual reliance on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors. Park said the Exynos 2600 was “progressing well” and hinted at “good results” ahead, but made it clear that MX will make the final call on whether the chip makes it into the S26 lineup.
The fact that the multitasking-focused Z Fold7 still relies on a Snapdragon flagship suggests the Exynos 2500 fell short of Samsung’s performance or efficiency expectations. So far, there’s been little convincing evidence of significant gains with the Exynos 2600 either — likely a key reason why the mobile division has yet to lock in a deal with System LSI, Samsung’s chipmaking arm.
Samsung had originally planned to use the Exynos 2500 for the Galaxy S25 series, only to scrap it in favor of the Snapdragon 8 Elite due to yield problems. The Exynos 2600 is reportedly facing similar yield concerns, with production rates still falling short of the 70% mark needed for mass production.
Meanwhile, Samsung MX is increasingly sourcing key components from external suppliers. The Galaxy S25, for example, used Micron memory chips instead of Samsung’s own — a trend that may continue with the S26 series. If production challenges persist, Samsung may once again turn to Qualcomm (Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2) for the Galaxy S26, S26 Edge, and S26 Ultra — good news for users prioritizing performance and battery life.
Don’t miss a thing! Join our Telegram community for instant updates and grab our free daily newsletter for the best tech stories!
For more daily updates, please visit our News Section.
(Source)
Comments