S26 Pro to use Exynos 2600 outside US/China, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for US/China

Samsung plans to equip the Galaxy S26 Pro with its new Exynos 2600 chip in most regions while the United States and China are expected to receive Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, according to industry reports. The move marks a return to a regional split in flagship processors for Samsung's next Galaxy S series, which is expected to debut early next year.

The Exynos 2600 is reported to be Samsung's first 2 nanometer mobile chipset and is said to feature a 10 core CPU configuration using ARM C1 class cores and an Xclipse 950 GPU based on RDNA architecture. Reports indicate mass production of the chip began in September. Samsung is expected to use the Exynos 2600 in the Galaxy S26 Pro and other non-U.S./China variants, while reserving the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for the S26 models sold in the United States and China.

The broader Galaxy S26 lineup is expected to include a Pro, Edge, and Ultra model, with a standard S26 or a Plus variant under development after initial plans to drop the Plus model were reversed. Early indications suggest the Edge and Ultra will rely on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 across most markets, while the Pro and the reinstated Plus model will use...