A fresh benchmark leak surrounding the Samsung Galaxy S26’s Exynos 2600 processor has sparked renewed discussion about performance differences between Samsung’s in-house chip and Qualcomm’s top-tier Snapdragon line. While the Exynos 2600 shows notable progress over its predecessor, early Geekbench results suggest that the performance gap between Samsung’s and Qualcomm’s flagship chipsets may remain a concern for consumers.
Manufactured using Samsung’s latest 2nm process with a reported yield of around 40%, the Exynos 2600 has scored approximately 2,950 points in single-core and 10,200 in multi-core tests on Geekbench 6. These figures reflect a healthy improvement of about 20% and 15% respectively when compared to the Exynos 2400 that powered the Galaxy S24 series.
However, despite these gains, Samsung’s new chip still appears to lag behind Qualcomm’s current and next-generation offerings. The present Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (also known as Snapdragon 8 Elite) registers a higher single-core score of around 3,155 and multi-core score of 9,723. Meanwhile, the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 (rumored to be branded as Snapdragon 8 Elite 2) is expected to push performance even further, possibly breaking the 4,000/11,000 threshold in Geekbench scores.
Samsung is reportedly sticking to its dual-chip strategy for the Galaxy S26 lineup. The Exynos 2600 will likely be featured in the standard and Plus variants sold in select markets, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is anticipated to power the Galaxy S26 Ultra globally and the entire lineup in the U.S. and China.
This recurring division in chipsets is expected to once again result in disparities in performance, battery optimization, and thermal efficiency across regions—an issue that has long frustrated Samsung’s global customer base.
The performance of the Exynos 2600 will be a litmus test for Samsung Foundry’s 2nm process capabilities. A solid showing could strengthen its competitiveness in the chip manufacturing space. On the other hand, any noticeable shortcomings might reignite criticisms about the consistency and competitiveness of Exynos-powered Galaxy devices.
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