Samsung is set to introduce the Exynos 2600 SoC. The chip is intended to restore Samsung’s position in the high-end mobile processor market. The production process is particularly noteworthy. It is the first mobile SoC to be manufactured using a 2-nanometer Gate-All-Around process. Other manufacturers are not yet at this stage.
The announcement comes at an important moment for Samsung. In recent years, the Exynos line has struggled to compete with Qualcomm and Apple, which even led Samsung to completely abandon Exynos in its own Galaxy S flagships this year. According to Neowin, the Exynos 2600 is intended as a change of course and should be usable again for selected models in the upcoming Galaxy S26 series.
The Exynos 2600 uses Arm’s latest CPU architecture, including the C1-Ultra and C1-Pro cores. Whereas previous generations used a design with large, medium, and small cores, Samsung has now opted for a configuration without efficiency cores. Thanks to improvements in energy consumption, all small cores have been replaced by medium-sized cores, which, according to Samsung, leads to higher and more consistent performance. The company claims that this results in CPU performance that is approximately 39 percent higher than that of the Exynos 2500, made possible in part by the new 2 nm GAA process.
Emphasis on AI processing
In addition to general computing power, there is a strong emphasis on AI processing. According to Samsung, the integrated NPU would deliver more than double the performance of its predecessor. Neowin adds that Samsung is primarily focusing on more efficient execution of generative AI tasks on the device itself, with less reliance on cloud processing. At the same time, the company is introducing additional security measures, including virtualization-based protection and support for hybrid post-quantum cryptography at the hardware level.
The Exynos 2600 is also set to make a clear step forward in terms of graphics. The new Xclipse 960 GPU, developed in collaboration with AMD, promises a significant performance gain. Samsung speaks of a doubling of overall GPU performance, while ray tracing is said to perform up to 50% better in specific scenarios. In combination with Neural Super Sampling, this should ensure more stable frame rates, especially in mobile games, although independent benchmarks are not yet available.
Changes have also been made to the camera. Image processing has been enhanced with an improved AI-driven Visual Perception System, which analyzes scenes in real time while reducing energy consumption. In addition, video processing has been updated with new deep learning noise reduction, focused primarily on improving performance in low light conditions.
New thermal approach
A recurring criticism of previous Exynos chips was heat generation. With the Exynos 2600, Samsung is therefore introducing the Heat Path Block, a modified internal design that should dissipate heat more quickly. This should allow smartphones to maintain high performance for longer. Neowin notes that this is an essential part of Samsung’s attempt to restore Exynos’ image.
Despite this technological step forward, questions remain. Samsung has not yet shared details about memory support, modem capabilities, or exact camera limits. It is also unclear how mature the 2 nm process is and how this translates to large-scale production.