The Galaxy S26 might rock the Exynos 2600 chip, but only in this region

What you need to know

• Samsung is reportedly prepping the Galaxy S26 for early 2026, and the old split-chip strategy might be back, with Europe likely to get Exynos 2600, while the rest of the world sees Snapdragon.
• Exynos chips have been a tough sell in Europe, especially with their lower performance, weaker graphics, and worse battery life compared to Snapdragon.
• Exynos 2600 might be more energy-efficient (15–25%) than its predecessor, but its production yield isn’t there yet.

Samsung is gearing up to unveil the Galaxy S26 lineup in early 2026, and it looks like the company's split-chip play is making a comeback. Rumor has it Europe is locked in for the Exynos 2600, while the rest of the world gets the next-gen Snapdragon.

A new leak on X from user @Jukanlosreve claims Samsung is going back to its old chipset-splitting ways for the Galaxy S26 (via SamMobile). And even though the launch is still a ways off, the rumor mill is already heating up.

What’s wild is that buzz about the S26 using Exynos in certain regions started popping up even before the S25 was officially announced.

The latest rumor seems to back up earlier leaks, at least partly. Samsung is reportedly making strides with its 2nm Exynos 2600, but production still isn’t smooth enough for a worldwide release. So for now, it looks like regions like Europe will be the ones getting the Exynos-powered Galaxy S26.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and a few other regions are expected to get the Galaxy S26 with Snapdragon power under the hood.

We heard this same song and dance last year, with talk of Samsung possibly using the Exynos 2500 in the Galaxy S25 lineup. But when the phones dropped in January, that didn’t happen, and Samsung went all-in on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite instead.

History repeats itself

Samsung is no stranger to using its own Exynos chips in European Galaxy flagships. But over the years, these in-house chips have taken heat for lagging behind Snapdragon in performance, battery efficiency, and heat control.

Galaxy fans in Europe have been sounding off for years about Exynos chips falling short, especially when it comes to graphics power and battery efficiency compared to Snapdragon.

Still, Samsung seems set on sticking with its in-house silicon. The upcoming Exynos 2600 is rumored to be 15–25% more energy efficient, but it's got a ways to go, with its production yield sitting around 40%, while TSMC is hitting 60%.

The latest scoop shows Samsung is all in on its Exynos chips, but we’re still not sure how the regional split will play out. It’s still up in the air whether every Galaxy S26 model will follow this pattern, or if the top-tier S26 Ultra will get Snapdragon everywhere, like the S24 Ultra did with its Snapdragon processor worldwide.