TECH NEWS – The next generation of Samsung Galaxy S phones in Europe could get something other than Qualcomm’s Snapdragon next year.

Samsung‘s decision to exclusively use the Snapdragon 8 Elite in this year’s Galaxy S25 lineup was due to the Exynos 2500‘s poor yield and the fact that the South Korean tech giant admitted its own system-on-a-chip (SoC) couldn’t compete with Qualcomm’s flagship chipset. Unsurprisingly, Samsung’s component costs have skyrocketed this year, and dropping the Exynos 2500 from its premium phones resulted in a staggering $400 million loss. Determined not to repeat the mistake, the company is now reportedly working on the Exynos 2600—though it may not launch globally.

In its quarterly earnings report, Samsung reminded investors that its goal is to stabilize 2nm GAA yields in time for mass production in the second half of 2025. In February, the trial production of the Exynos 2600 reached an encouraging 30% yield—still low, but a major improvement over the previous 3nm GAA process. If Samsung can boost yields to 60%, it would be viable for full-scale production.

Latest industry note related to Samsung:

Exynos 2600 is indeed planned to be used in the S26.

Currently, due to reportedly low yield, it is likely to be equipped mainly in European models.

An industry source emphasized that even in the AP for the S26, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon…

— Jukanlosreve (@Jukanlosreve) May 3, 2025

On Twitter, Jukanlosreve stated that due to low yield rates, shipments are limited, and only European versions of the Galaxy S26 are expected to feature the Exynos 2600. Another unnamed industry source confirmed that even if this chip powers Samsung’s next flagship, the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 will likely outperform it significantly—making the Exynos 2600 in Europe a cost-saving decision rather than a performance-based one.

It’s also been reported via Twitter that Samsung LSI, which developed the Exynos 2500, acknowledged a $400 million loss following the chip’s exclusion from the Galaxy S25. Earlier leaks indicated that the Exynos 2600 must be finalized by Q3 2025 to have even a slight chance of making it into the Galaxy S26 lineup—Samsung is racing the clock.

Source: WCCFTech