Exynos 2600’s Xclipse 960 Surges Ahead by 21% Over Snapdragon X Elite’s Adreno iGPU in Geekbench 6 OpenCL Benchmarks, But Vulkan API Comparisons Shift the Outcome

As anticipation builds for Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event, excitement surrounds the benchmark results of the brand’s new Exynos 2600 chipset. This marks a significant milestone as it is Samsung’s first mass-produced chipset utilizing the advanced 2nm Gate-All-Around (GAA) technology. It features the newly designed Xclipse 960 GPU, which incorporates a tailored version of AMD’s RDNA 4 architecture. Initial comparisons from Geekbench 6 highlight that the Exynos 2600 achieves an impressive 21% performance enhancement over Qualcomm’s previous-generation flagship, the Snapdragon X Elite, in OpenCL benchmarks. However, the performance narrative shifts dramatically when utilizing the Vulkan API.

Performance Overview: Snapdragon X Elite vs. Exynos 2600

Samsung emphasizes several advancements with the Exynos 2600’s Xclipse 960, particularly noting a remarkable 50% increase in ray tracing capabilities compared to its predecessor, the Xclipse 950 from the Exynos 2500. Still, there’s more fascinating data emerging: the Galaxy S25+, identifiable by its model number SM-S947N, has surfaced in Geekbench 6, signaling its impending release for the South Korean market.

Exynos 2600 Geekbench 6 OpenCL results — Exynos 2600’s results in Geekbench 6 OpenCL tests

The OpenCL score for the Exynos 2600 stands at an impressive 24, 964, allowing it to surpass the Snapdragon X Elite embedded in the Galaxy Book4 Edge, which managed a score of 20, 492. This translates to a performance advantage of 21.8% in OpenCL tests. However, when assessed via the Vulkan API, the performance landscape changes significantly.

In Vulkan benchmarks, the Galaxy Book4 Edge pulls ahead, scoring 28, 934 points, thus showcasing 15.9% superiority over the Exynos 2600’s OpenCL score. It is crucial to note that the Galaxy Book4 Edge was operating in “Balanced”power mode during these tests; a switch to “High Performance”mode could have influenced the results in favor of the Snapdragon chipset. Although results for the Exynos 2600 in the Vulkan testing are yet to be released, their eventual revelation will help clarify how the smartphone chipset truly stands against its laptop counterpart.

Geekbench 6 OpenCL Results

Exynos 2600: 24, 964 (21.8% faster)
Snapdragon X Elite: 20, 492

Exynos 2600 vs Snapdragon X Elite in Geekbench 6 OpenCL — Comparison of Exynos 2600 and Snapdragon X Elite in Geekbench 6 OpenCL

Geekbench 6 Vulkan Results

Exynos 2600: 24, 964
Snapdragon X Elite: 28, 934 (15.9% faster)

Exynos 2600 vs Snapdragon X Elite in Geekbench 6 Vulkan — Exynos 2600 vs Snapdragon X Elite performance in Geekbench 6 Vulkan

While the performance results of the Exynos 2600 are impressive, it’s essential to keep in mind the historical context surrounding Samsung’s Exynos line. Previous generations have often faced criticism for issues like overheating and thermal throttling, which significantly impacted performance, even with features like vapor chambers in older flagship models.

However, Samsung is potentially addressing these heat management challenges with its innovative Heat Pass Block (HPB) technology. This solution reportedly can reduce temperatures by as much as 30%, acting effectively like a heatsink. Its introduction has captured the interest of other chipset manufacturers, as per insights from Weibo insider Fixed-focus digital cameras. As we await further details on the Exynos 2600, the prospect of overcoming past thermal issues with HPB technology is certainly a development to watch closely.

Source: Geekbench 6

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