Samsung Might Not Use Exynos 2600 On Its Galaxy S26 Series: Here’s What We Know

Samsung’s strategy for its flagship Galaxy S series has been a topic of keen interest to me, especially since the recent transition from Exynos to Snapdragon chipsets (from the Galaxy S24 to Galaxy S25 series). Recently, we heard rumors about Samsung switching back to Exynos chips for the upcoming Galaxy S26 series. However, that might not be the case anymore.

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Qualcomm Might Not Increase The Price For Snapdragon 8 Elite 2

According to renowned tipster Digital Chat Station, the price for the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 and the Dimensity 9500 chipsets (the upcoming flagship processors by Qualcomm and MediaTek) won’t “increase much.”

The tipster is referring to the price at which the chipmakers (Qualcomm and MediaTek) sell the chips to OEMs (such as Samsung, OnePlus, vivo, Oppo, iQOO, etc.).

In other words, the OEMs might not incur a price increase (at least not a significant one), which will allow the companies to release their 2026 flagships at the same price as the current ones.

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The Price Dilemma: Why Chip Costs Influence Samsung’s Strategy

Now, let’s come to why this is an important claim. Previously, we’ve heard that smartphone manufacturers might not choose the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 for their 2026 flagships, primarily due to the use of advanced manufacturing technology, which could significantly increase their prices.

This, in turn, would either increase the price for end-consumers (you and me) if the companies decide to trim their profit margin, or result in a reduction in profits (and that’s not what they would want). This is one of the primary reasons why there have been rumors about Samsung switching to the Exynos 2600 chipset for the purported Galaxy S26 series (instead of the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 for Galaxy).

Sitting in the flagship spectrum, the Galaxy S25 series is already more expensive than other Snapdragon 8 Elite smartphones with similar specifications (except the S25 Ultra). If the company increases the prices further, it might redirect customers to cheaper alternatives.

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Qualcomm’s Competitive Edge Might Make Samsung Reconsider Its Plans

Furthermore, using an in-house chipset would also allow Samsung to refine its manufacturing technology and control overall costs (or outgoing cash).

However, now that Qualcomm is reportedly not expected to increase the prices for the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, Samsung could, in a very real sense, reconsider its plan to integrate the Qualcomm chip into the Galaxy S26 series.

A few years ago, Samsung used a region-based strategy for its flagships, releasing the S series with Snapdragon chips in the USA and Exynos chips in other markets like India. The S24 series, for instance, is another example: it features the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4nm) in the United States and the Exynos 2400 (4nm) in India. The S24 Ultra (review), however. featured a Snapdragon chip in all markets.

However, with the Galaxy S25, Samsung decided to drop the plan to include the Exynos chipsets and release it with the Snapdragon 8 Elite for the Galaxy platform internationally (which is something that worked in favor of the company).

Going forward, it remains interesting to see whether Samsung still opts for its in-house Exynos 2600 chipset for the Galaxy S26 series or continues its business with Qualcomm.

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