Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra has been bouncing around the rumor mill for months, but one question kept coming up more than anything else: will it be powered exclusively with the latest Snapdragon flagship, or return to a split Snapdragon–Exynos strategy? We finally have a clear answer, thanks to a new FCC listing.
Two models—SM-S948B and SM-S948U—have just appeared in the FCC database, and both are tied to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The documents go a step further and outright name the chipset: SM8850, which is Qualcomm’s internal codename for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. In other words, Samsung is signaling to anyone eyeing the S26 Ultra that they can expect a clear step up in performance and efficiency compared to the S25 Ultra.
The model numbers themselves line up with Samsung’s usual pattern. The “B” variant is the global/unlocked version, while the “U” model is the carrier-specific version for the US. Seeing the same Snapdragon chip listed for both finally confirms the rumors: Samsung is going all-in on Qualcomm for its 2026 Ultra model—no Exynos alternative for any region.
It’s a continuation of a trend we’ve seen with Samsung’s top-end phones. The Ultra has leaned Snapdragon-only for the past couple of generations, while the standard and Plus models have swapped between Exynos and Snapdragon whenever possible. That split isn’t disappearing entirely, though. Several leaks and benchmark listings still point to the Galaxy S26 and S26+ using the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 almost everywhere except South Korea, where Samsung is expected to ship them with its in-house Exynos 2600 instead.
But for the Ultra, the FCC filing removes any remaining doubt. The top-of-the-line flagship of the 2026 lineup will run Qualcomm’s latest chip in every market.
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