Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 vs Exynos 2600: Which is the Best Flagship Chip for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra?

The Samsung Galaxy S26 series will be unveiled on 25 February, and early data points to clear differences between the chipsets. Benchmark leaks suggest that Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 will deliver stronger single-core results than Exynos 2600, while multi-core scores stay close.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 used in the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra will be a customised "for Galaxy" version. The Prime Oryon V3 cores will run at 4.74GHz, compared with 4.61GHz on the standard Elite Gen 5, and this change drives the single-core advantage.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 vs Exynos 2600: Which is Superior?

Samsung Galaxy S26 Series Chipset and Performance Overview

The ARM C1-Ultra prime core inside the Exynos 2600 will run at 3.80GHz. Because Snapdragon’s Prime cores run almost 1GHz faster, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 shows about 16% higher single-core performance in leaked tests, based on figures shared by TechManiacs.

Multi-core numbers from Geekbench 6.6.0 will tell a different story, according to the same leaks. The Exynos 2600 multi-core result will sit only 2% below the Snapdragon figure, which falls within the margin of error for early benchmark runs.

Model	Chipset	CPU layout	Top clock	Single-core gap	Multi-core gap
Galaxy S26 / S26+	Exynos 2600	Deca-core (1+3+6)	3.80GHz (ARM C1-Ultra)	About 16% slower	About 2% lower
Galaxy S26 Ultra	Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 "for Galaxy"	Octa-core (2+6)	4.74GHz (Prime Oryon V3)	About 16% faster	Reference score

Samsung Galaxy S26 Series Hardware Details and Regional Plans

The Exynos 2600 inside the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+ will use a deca-core CPU with a 1+3+6 layout. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 "for Galaxy" in the Galaxy S26 Ultra will rely on eight cores, arranged in a 2+6 configuration.

All three Samsung Galaxy S26 series phones will reportedly ship with 12GB of RAM as the base option. Galaxy S26 Ultra will also feature a 16GB RAM variant, but this higher memory tier will be tied to the 1TB storage model.

Leaked screenshots do not indicate that the 16GB Galaxy S26 Ultra configuration was used in the shared benchmarks. Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+ will use the Exynos 2600 in several regions, while Galaxy S26 Ultra will rely on Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in all markets, though exact regional splits remain unclear.

TechManiacs gathered system information and Geekbench 6.6.0 benchmark results from upcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 series units, with the source material originally published in Greek. Readers wanting more background on the Galaxy S26 trio will still find extra context in earlier "what to expect" posts that cover design and broader specifications.