Regardless of the market, this year’s Galaxy S25 series shipped exclusively with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip. The reason came from production issues with Samsung’s in-house Exynos 2500 chip, which never made it into the final product.
Looking ahead, that might change. A new rumor suggests that Samsung is preparing to reintroduce its Exynos chipset with the Galaxy S26 series, this time using the Exynos 2600. However, reports indicate that due to ongoing yield concerns, these Exynos-powered models could be limited to European markets only.
Europe has historically been the primary region for Samsung’s Exynos variants. The reasoning behind this strategy remains unclear, especially considering the persistent performance gap between Exynos and Snapdragon. If the latest claims hold, Samsung’s European customers may again receive slightly less capable hardware compared to global Snapdragon versions.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 chip, likely to run the Galaxy S26 outside Europe, is said to be faster than the Exynos 2600. If confirmed, this would follow a familiar pattern, with Snapdragon continuing to lead on performance and efficiency.
From a business perspective, Samsung’s System LSI division, responsible for Exynos chip development, reportedly suffered a $400 million loss due to the Exynos 2500 being left out of the Galaxy S25 lineup. That’s likely a key reason behind the push to bring Exynos back with the next flagship launch.
At this stage, all information should be treated as speculation, but if these early reports prove accurate, the Exynos vs Snapdragon divide in Samsung’s strategy could return — with Europe once again carrying the Exynos torch.
