C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Samsung has begun mass-producing the Exynos 2600 that could power the Galaxy S26.
- It’s the first chipset ever to be built on a 2nm fabrication process.
- The Exynos 2600 production cycle already has a 50% yield, suggesting the chip may be ready in time.
Next-gen Android flagships have already started to arrive on the back of Qualcomm’s earlier-than-usual announcement of its Elite phone chipset. After Xiaomi 17, the OnePlus 15 is inching closer to its launch. But while there’s no confirmation about the Galaxy S26 series’ launch timeline, we now have another piece of evidence supporting the fact that it will not be a Snapdragon-only affair.
Samsung’s semiconductor division has reportedly kicked off mass production of the slated Exynos 2600 chipset. Korean news outlet The Bell states that Samsung has not only achieved this feat earlier than expected, but it has accomplished it while increasing the wafer’s yield to 50%, up from 30% in the first quarter of the year.
The Exynos 2600 is reportedly the first 2nm chip to emerge from Samsung’s foundry. The first stage is expected to conclude by the end of October, at which point the dies will be sent out for packaging, and the remainder of the process will follow. Considering past trends, Samsung could announce the Exynos 2600 by January 2026 — i.e., if all goes as per plan.
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The report highlights that Samsung’s semiconductor division suffered losses due to the delay in the Exynos 2500. This delay resulted in Samsung’s mobile arm being forced to forgo an Exynos-powered Galaxy S25, and the chip was later repurposed for the Galaxy Z Flip 7 later in the year.
Along with switching to a more efficient 2nm fabrication process, Samsung is also rumored to incorporate a new “heat pass block” to curb heat generation. This, essentially, could eliminate — or lessen — the heating issue that Exynos chips have been infamous for.
With that noted, Samsung will not rely solely on the Exynos chip and will instead continue its dual-chip strategy. Previous reports have already confirmed that Samsung will also lean on Qualcomm for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 to power the Galaxy S26 series in certain markets and the Ultra across all regions.
As with previous generations, Samsung could also use a special overclocked version of the Qualcomm chipset to power the Galaxy S26 series. However, since it is a 3nm chip, we’re keen to witness the boost that the new manufacturing process may bring.
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