Samsung Launches Exynos 2600, World's First 2nm Mobile Chip Tipped for Galaxy S26 Lineup

Samsung has announced the Exynos 2600, its next flagship mobile processor, as the company pushes to bring its in-house silicon back to the top tier ahead of its 2026 smartphone cycle. The chip is being positioned as a next-generation platform built on a 2nm GAA (gate-all-around) process, and is widely expected to debut in at least some Galaxy S26-series models, though Samsung has not confirmed the exact rollout plan by device or region.​

At the core of Exynos 2600 is a redesigned CPU configuration that Samsung says is aimed at delivering both responsiveness and efficiency across different workloads. According to the announcement, the processor uses a 10-core CPU structure, led by an Arm C1‑Ultra prime core that is intended to boost processing speed and IPC (instructions per cycle).​

Samsung says the remaining nine “middle” cores are tuned separately for performance and efficiency rather than relying on a traditional “little-core” cluster. In this design, three high-performance middle cores are meant to improve multi-threaded performance, while six high-efficiency middle cores are intended to handle system management tasks without wasting energy, effectively replacing the predecessor’s little cores.​

While the company’s announcement emphasises architectural changes and efficiency-focused core management, broader claims about Exynos 2600 being the “world’s first 2nm” smartphone chip and its expected role inside the Galaxy S26 series have largely been driven by industry reports around Samsung Foundry’s 2nm GAA ramp-up and the chip’s expected flagship positioning.​

Samsung’s next step will be translating those design changes into real-world gains, especially in sustained performance, thermals, modem efficiency, and on-device AI, which are the areas where Exynos chips have faced scrutiny in prior generations. For consumers, the biggest detail still pending is confirmation of which Galaxy S26 models will ship with Exynos 2600 versus alternative chipsets, and whether Samsung will use the processor globally or restrict it to select markets.

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