Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: It Will Power 75% of Galaxy S26
Samsung may not be betting as heavily as expected on its own processors for the upcoming flagship generation. During its Q4 2025 financial conference, Qualcomm confirmed that approximately 75% of the Galaxy S26 devices will be powered by its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, while 25% will utilize the in-house Exynos 2600 processor.
A Strong Partnership Despite Samsung’s Ambitions
When asked about the rising prominence of Exynos chips and Samsung’s internal modems, Qualcomm executives expressed confidence: “What was once a 50% split is now about 75%. For the Galaxy S25, we were at 100%. Therefore, our baseline assumption for future Galaxy devices is 75%.”
In other words, Qualcomm remains the dominant supplier for the Galaxy lineup, despite the return of Exynos after a full year hiatus (as all Galaxy S25 models were exclusively equipped with Snapdragon).
Exynos 2600: A Promising Yet Cautious Return
The Samsung Exynos 2600 is not just a second-choice option.
- Fabricated on a 2 nm GAA (Gate-All-Around) process, it promises better energy efficiency and thermal management.
- Initial benchmarks indicate performance comparable to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and Apple A19 Pro.
However, Samsung seems to be exercising caution: the company does not yet have the same long-term reliability as Qualcomm when it comes to stability, temperature control, and throttling management in real-world usage.
Projected Chip Distribution for the Galaxy S26 Lineup
Model | Main Chip (by Region) | Estimated Share |
|---|---|---|
Galaxy S26 / S26+ | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (global, excluding Europe) / Exynos 2600 (Europe and Korea) | ~75% Snapdragon / ~25% Exynos |
Galaxy S26 Ultra | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (exclusive) | 100% Snapdragon |
Why Does Samsung Remain Loyal to Qualcomm?
One might wonder why, and there are several clear reasons:
- Global network compatibility: the Snapdragon X75 modem offers stable 5G and Wi-Fi 7 performance.
- Controlled thermal characteristics: Qualcomm maintains an advantage in heat dissipation, a crucial aspect for flagships.
- Optimized ecosystem: GPU (Adreno) and AI (Hexagon) optimizations are already well-integrated into Android and One UI.
Samsung is gradually regaining control over its chip production with the Exynos 2600, but Qualcomm still holds the majority stake in the upcoming Galaxy S26 lineup.
This situation perfectly illustrates the current transition: Samsung’s ambition for independence is tempered by the proven reliability of Snapdragon.
