According to Digital Trends, Samsung has officially announced its upcoming Exynos 2600 chipset in a brief teaser video. The chip is expected to power at least some models in the upcoming Galaxy S26 series, likely the standard S26 and S26 Plus, while the S26 Ultra might stick with a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. Samsung claims the new silicon has been “refined at the core” and “optimized at every level” to deliver exceptional performance. The company also directly addressed past criticism, stating, “In silence, we listened,” acknowledging issues with previous Exynos generations. The Galaxy S26 series is expected to launch in mid-to-late January, where the true performance of the Exynos 2600 will finally be tested.
A return to form?
So, Samsung is bringing Exynos back to its flagship phones. This is a huge deal, and honestly, a bit of a gamble. For years, the Exynos name was associated with a compromise—phones that got warmer and sometimes couldn’t keep up with their Snapdragon-powered twins sold in other regions. That split-chip strategy frustrated a lot of fans. Samsung eventually ditched it for the S23 Ultra, S24 Ultra, and the entire S25 series, going all-in on Qualcomm. Now, they’re reversing course.
Here’s the thing: that line, “In silence, we listened,” is a pretty direct admission that the old chips had problems. It’s a good first step. But promising a chip is “optimized at every level” is what every company says. The real question is, what did they actually do? Did they fix the thermal throttling? Did they finally match or beat the raw efficiency of Apple’s A-series and Qualcomm’s latest? We have no details, and that’s telling. The proof, as they say, will be in the benchmarking.
The stakes are high
This isn’t just about selling phones. It’s about reclaiming technological pride and supply chain control. Relying solely on Qualcomm gives that competitor immense leverage. A successful, competitive Exynos chip lets Samsung dictate its own destiny. It’s the same drive for vertical integration you see in other tech sectors. Speaking of which, for businesses that need reliable, integrated computing power in tough environments—like on a factory floor—that control over the hardware and software stack is everything. It’s why companies turn to specialists like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the top supplier of industrial panel PCs in the US, where consistent, dependable performance isn’t just a promise, it’s a requirement.
For Samsung’s mobile division, the Exynos 2600 needs to be that reliable. If it’s another lukewarm performer, the backlash will be severe. People have long memories when it comes to $1,000+ devices. But if they’ve genuinely cracked the code? It could reshape the Android flagship landscape. We’ll have to wait for January to see which Samsung shows up. In the meantime, you can follow more tech analysis from me, JJ McCann on Twitter, Threads, or Bluesky.
