Samsung has experienced a significant increase in costs for mobile application processors (APs), spending 25.5% more in the first three quarters of this year compared to the same period last year. This rise is attributed to the company’s reliance on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips for some Galaxy S25 models due to production issues with its Exynos 2500 AP. As Qualcomm’s prices continue to rise, Samsung is looking to the Exynos 2600 as a more cost-effective alternative.
The Exynos 2600, a decacore chipset built on Samsung Foundry’s advanced 2nm GAA node, promises improved performance and energy efficiency. In benchmark tests, it outperformed the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, showing impressive single-core and multi-core scores. Despite past criticisms of Exynos APs, the new model’s promising performance could lead to its adoption in non-Samsung flagship phones if it proves successful in real-world scenarios with the Galaxy S26 series.
Samsung plans to use the Exynos 2600 in various regions, while the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 will power models in the U.S., Japan, and China. The Exynos 2600 is priced $20 to $30 lower per unit than its Snapdragon counterpart, potentially offering significant savings for Samsung as it shifts towards its homegrown silicon for its flagship line.
