Samsung Galaxy S26 May Bring Back Exynos Chips—But Only in Europe

Samsung may be planning a return to its in-house Exynos processors for the upcoming Galaxy S26 series, according to recent industry rumors. After using Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy (also known as Snapdragon 8 Elite) exclusively across all markets for the Galaxy S25 lineup due to yield issues with the Exynos 2500, Samsung appears to be preparing the Exynos 2600 for a comeback—though with limited availability.

Exynos 2600 Could Power Galaxy S26 Models in Select Markets The new rumor suggests that the Galaxy S26 series will feature the Exynos 2600 chipset, but only in select markets—specifically Europe. Historically, Samsung has released Exynos-powered Galaxy flagships in European countries while shipping Snapdragon variants to North America and other regions. The reasoning behind this regional split remains unclear, but it appears Samsung may be sticking to this strategy once again.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 for Galaxy Still Expected to Outperform According to the same source, Qualcomm’s next-gen Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 (possibly branded Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 for Galaxy) is expected to outperform the upcoming Exynos 2600. If this holds true, European consumers could once again receive Galaxy flagships with slightly lower performance compared to their Snapdragon-powered counterparts in other regions.

Financial Pressure on Samsung’s Chip Division Samsung’s System LSI division, which is responsible for designing Exynos chipsets, reportedly lost around $400 million due to the Exynos 2500 being sidelined from the Galaxy S25 lineup. With such a significant financial impact, Samsung is likely motivated to reintroduce its Exynos chips in some capacity to recover losses and prove the competitiveness of its in-house silicon.

What This Means for Galaxy S26 Buyers If the rumors are accurate, Galaxy S26 buyers in Europe may have to settle for an Exynos-powered device, while other regions will receive Snapdragon variants. Performance differences, while possibly minimal in daily usage, could still influence purchasing decisions for power users and tech enthusiasts.

As always, these details remain speculative until officially confirmed by Samsung. The Galaxy S26 series is expected to launch early next year, and more concrete information should emerge closer to the release date.