Update:
There is growing debate around the authenticity of the leaked Exynos 2600 benchmark scores referenced below. There’s a chance that the 13,000+ multi-core result may have been fabricated. At least one source claims the numbers were intentionally created in response to earlier questionable leaks. Given the uncertainty, these figures should be treated as unverified and potentially inaccurate.
Original story:
Samsung’s next flagship chipset may have just delivered its strongest hint yet that the Galaxy S26 series could see a major performance shake-up. New Geekbench 6 scores from an alleged Exynos 2600 engineering sample suggest Samsung’s first 2nm GAA chip isn’t just competitive — it’s pulling ahead of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in raw CPU power by a surprisingly large margin.
According to numbers shared by X user @lafaiel, the Exynos 2600 posted 4,217 (single-core) and 13,482 (multi-core). For context, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 — Samsung’s alternative chip for the S26 lineup in regions like the US and China — scored 3,824 and 12,402 in the same benchmark on the iQOO 15. That’s a sizeable jump of ~10% in single-core and ~8% in multi-core for the Exynos, at least in these early tests.
The leaked Exynos 2600 sample was clocked aggressively. The deca-core CPU ran in a 1 + 3 + 6 configuration, with the prime core hitting 4.20GHz, performance cores at 3.56GHz, and efficiency cores at 2.76GHz. Samsung is clearly probing the limits of its first 2nm chip — though it’s unclear whether these speeds will make it into retail units.
There is one twist: when checking Geekbench’s database directly, the listing could not be found. That either means it was removed or the numbers were altered before circulating. Still, if the scores are accurate, the Exynos variants of the Galaxy S26 series could not only close the gap but also outperform their Snapdragon counterpart in raw power.
And we still have no idea about the power draw. As impressive as these results look, they’re still just benchmarks. Exynos chips have a long history of shining in early tests but falling behind Snapdragon variants once real-world thermals and sustained performance come into play. Engineering samples can also be tuned aggressively or tested with cooling setups that never make it into consumer phones. Until we know the test conditions — and until retail units arrive — it’s best to see these numbers as promising, but far from final.
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.
Comments