Galaxy S26 Ultra clears FCC, confirming Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 (SM8850) and a worldwide end to the Exynos split—promising faster, more efficient performance.
© A. Krivonosov
The Galaxy S26 Ultra has finally cleared the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, putting an end to months of back-and-forth over which processor would power Samsung’s new flagship. The FCC database lists two variants—SM-S948B and SM-S948U—both explicitly tied to the Galaxy S26 Ultra and fitted with the SM8850 chip, internally designated Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
In practice, this confirms that Samsung is dropping the Snapdragon/Exynos split for the Ultra. Both the global model and the U.S. carrier version run the same top-tier Qualcomm silicon, a shift that promises a noticeable lift in performance and efficiency versus the Galaxy S25 Ultra—a welcome dose of consistency after years of regional fragmentation.
Model numbers follow the usual pattern: B marks the international version, while U is reserved for U.S. carriers. For the first time in a while, though, Samsung is committing to a single processor for the Ultra worldwide. The company isn’t abandoning its mixed approach for the smaller models: it is expected that the Galaxy S26 and S26+ will use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in most markets, while South Korea’s domestic lineup will retain the in-house Exynos 2600.
For the Ultra specifically, the move to an all-Snapdragon setup is now official—the FCC certification leaves little room for doubt.