Samsung is expected to launch its next-generation flagship Galaxy S26 series early next year, and recent leaks suggest the phones could be powered by the company’s in-house Exynos 2600 chipset. Now, ahead of the Galaxy Unpacked event, the South Korean giant has officially unveiled the SoC and revealed its key specifications.
The Exynos 2600 will compete against Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and therefore brings with it several notable upgrades. It’s the first smartphone SoC based on a 2nm process, a step up from the 3nm node used for Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon chip.
New CPU, GPU and NPU promise a significant jump in performance
Samsung has equipped the chip with a new 10-core CPU that uses Arm’s new C1 Ultra and C1 Pro cores based on the v9.3 architecture. It includes a single C1 Ultra Prime core clocked at 3.8 GHz, three powerful C1 Pro cores clocked at 3.25 GHz, and six additional C1 Pro cores clocked at 2.75 GHz. According to Samsung, this updated CPU results in a 39% performance increase over the Exynos 2500.
The SoC features a new integrated NPU that reportedly improves generative AI performance by 113% compared to last time, enabling support for larger and more complex models on the device. On-device data protection has been significantly improved with “virtualization security and hardware-assisted hybrid post-quantum cryptography (PQC),” another first for a mobile SoC.
The Exynos 2600 also features a new Xclipse 960 GPU, which promises twice the processing power of its predecessor, the Xclipse 950, and 50% better ray tracing performance. Additionally, Samsung’s Exynos Neural Super Sampling (ENSS) technology is included for AI-based resolution scaling and frame generation, resulting in three times smoother gaming performance.
New ISP enables higher resolution cameras and smoother video
To increase camera performance on next-generation hardware, the Exynos 2600 features a new ISP that supports cameras up to 320MP and can capture 108MP images without shutter lag. It also supports video recording at 8K 30fps or 4K 120fps with HDR.
The ISP has an AI-based visual perception system that can detect detailed elements such as blinks and process them in real time while reducing power consumption by 50%. A significant improvement in video performance is also expected thanks to the ISP’s DVNR (Deep Learning Video Noise Reduction) system, which reduces noise in videos shot in low-light conditions.
New thermal design for sustainable performance
To address concerns about poor thermal management, which has been a major bottleneck in previous Exynos chipsets, Samsung has implemented a new Heat Path Block (HPB) method that improves power dissipation through “the application of high-k EMC.”
This is another first in the mobile SoC space and is intended to result in higher sustained performance by reducing thermal resistance by up to 16% “so that internal heat can be dissipated to the outside more quickly” and the temperature of the SoC remains stable.
Other notable specs include UFS 4.1 storage and LPDDR5X DRAM support, support for up to 4K 120Hz display output, HDR10+ video playback, and HDR gaming. The Exynos 2600 lacks an integrated wireless chip and will likely use a separate connectivity and modem chip to enable 5G, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
It remains to be seen how these improvements will translate into actual performance when the Exynos 2600 launches with the Galaxy S26 series next year.
