Galaxy S26 Ultra Leaks on Geekbench 6 with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: Impressive Single & Multi-Core Performance Despite Lower Clock Speeds

Samsung is on the verge of unveiling its highly anticipated Galaxy S26 series on February 25 at the upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event. This launch is expected to showcase three flagship models. In the lead-up to the official announcement, Samsung has been conducting extensive testing on its devices. Notably, the first Geekbench 6 results for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, have surfaced, providing early insights into its performance.

Performance Core Frequencies: Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Default Settings

The benchmark results, revealed by prominent leakster Ice Universe, indicate that the performance cores of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 on the Galaxy S26 Ultra are clocked at 4.20GHz, which is lower than the standard speed of 4.61GHz. Despite this discrepancy, the Galaxy S26 Ultra has delivered commendable scores in both single-core and multi-core testing.

The particular variant tested was identified as the model SM-S948U, which features 12GB of RAM. Notably absent from the Geekbench listings, however, is any mention of a 16GB RAM variant for this flagship model, raising some concerns among tech enthusiasts.

Understanding Performance in Android Chipsets

It’s widely recognized that higher CPU clock speeds enhance software performance, especially in Android chipsets, leading to improved single-core and multi-core benchmark results. In the case of the Galaxy S26 Ultra, while the two performance cores operate at 4.20GHz, the six efficiency cores maintain their frequency at 3.63GHz. The recorded benchmark scores are as follows:

Single-core score: 3, 466
Multi-core score: 11, 035

BREAKING! The Geekbench results of the US version of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra are out. The non-maximum frequency results of the Snapdragon 8 Elite5 For Galaxy are 3466 for single-core and 11035 for multi-core. Looking forward to the subsequent results pic.twitter.com/dojdzmD4v0

— Ice Universe (@UniverseIce) January 12, 2026

As we anticipate the Galaxy Unpacked event, there is hope that the performance cores will reach their default speeds, allowing for a better understanding of the flagship’s capabilities. However, it’s crucial to note that Geekbench 6 is a short-duration benchmark, making it less effective for evaluating long-term performance. For a more comprehensive analysis, tests with platforms like 3DMark Wildlife Extreme are typically employed.

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