Galaxy S26 Pro will use Exynos 2600 or Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen5 by region

A new report from SamMobile says Samsung’s upcoming flagship, the Galaxy S26 Pro, will arrive in two hardware versions depending on the market. The global model is set to use the in-house Exynos 2600, while units for China and the United States are expected to ship with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen5. The split underscores a pragmatic, region-focused play.

The Exynos 2600 is built on Samsung’s 2 nm process and features a 10-core ARM C1 architecture. Graphics are handled by the Xclipse 950 GPU based on AMD’s RDNA design. Early estimates suggest performance above Snapdragon 8 Elite and Apple’s A19 Pro; even so, it’s still unclear whether it can compete with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen5 or MediaTek’s Dimensity 9500. The framing raises expectations but keeps direct, like-for-like comparisons open.

South Korean outlet The Elec previously reported a sudden shift in strategy: the Galaxy S26+ would also be split into region-specific chip versions. That points to a likely standardization of this approach across the Galaxy S26 lineup, reading less like a one-off test and more like a deliberate course correction.

According to The Bell, mass production of the Exynos 2600 has already begun. Samsung plans to complete the Fab-Out stage by late October or early November, after which the chips will move into testing, packaging, and preparation for integration into future smartphones. Taken together, these steps suggest the Galaxy S26 Pro is tracking toward a full unveiling in the first half of 2026.