Samsung Galaxy S26 Series: 75% Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and 25% Exynos 2600 Combination Confirmed

Recent insights from Qualcomm’s leadership have underscored their optimism regarding maintaining a commanding 75% share in the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 series, driven by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip. This leaves only 25% allocated to Samsung’s own Exynos 2600 chipset.

Additionally, fresh reports have bolstered this narrative, reinforcing the anticipated division of chipset responsibilities between Qualcomm and Samsung for the Galaxy S26 lineup.

Samsung’s Strategic Turn to a Dual-Chip Model for Galaxy S26

Samsung “Exynos 2600” to be equipped in Galaxy S26… likely for Korea, China, and emerging markets. Samsung Electronics’ next-generation mobile AP (application processor), the “Exynos 2600, ” is entering a full-fledged commercialization track. It is understood that the company has… pic.twitter.com/B1ItqGyLI3

— Jukan (@Jukanlosreve) November 11, 2025

According to ZDNET in South Korea, Samsung is indeed shifting back to a dual-chip strategy. The preference for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is clear for the Galaxy S26 series:

Qualcomm’s flagship chip will dominate the Galaxy S26 Ultra globally.
The same chip will also be featured in the base S26 and S26+ models across numerous territories, including the US and European markets.
For every Exynos 2600 chip deployed, Samsung plans to utilize approximately three Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chips in the S26 series, adhering to a consistent 75% Qualcomm to 25% Exynos distribution.

The Exynos 2600, leveraging Samsung’s advanced 2nm GAA technology, is positioned for a limited role:

This chip will specifically power the base Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+ in select markets.
The Exynos 2600 will primarily be found in South Korea, China, and various emerging markets.

It is important to note that the previous Exynos 2500 chip, built on Samsung’s 3nm process, faced challenges like low production yields and stability issues, hindering its market integration. In contrast, Samsung is optimistic about the Exynos 2600, which has reportedly achieved stable yields, with enhancements in efficiency and thermal management by around 30%.The new chipset also boasts a significantly improved Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for superior AI capabilities.

In a previous earnings call on November 5, Qualcomm’s management solidified their outlook:

“We have said for a number of years, a number of reasons, and this has been true in the past, I think, several years, that what used to be a normal relationship at a 50% share, the new baseline is about 75% share.”

They further elaborated:

“On Galaxy S25, we got 100%.Our assumption for any new Galaxy is always going to be 75%.That is our assumption for Galaxy S26.”

Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that the cost of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip is estimated to be around $250 per unit. Considering the expected sales of approximately 16 million units for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung could be looking at an expenditure of nearly $4 billion to Qualcomm solely for incorporating this flagship chipset into its S26 Ultra model.

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