Samsung too Return to Exynos for galaxy S26 Ultra in Europe, Sparking Concerns Over Performance
Samsung plans to equip the Galaxy S26 Ultra with its Exynos 2600 processor in Europe-including Germany-possibly ending the region’s run with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips, according to a new report. This move reverses a popular decision made with the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which exclusively used Snapdragon, and raises questions about performance consistency across Samsung’s flagship line.
The shift impacts European consumers who previously benefited from the Snapdragon’s reputation for optimized performance and efficiency. Historically, Exynos and Snapdragon versions of Galaxy phones have exhibited differences in camera quality, battery life, and overall speed, leading to a “chip lottery” among buyers. Samsung asserts the Exynos 2600 will match the Snapdragon 8 elite Gen 5, but autonomous testing will be crucial to verify thes claims.
While the Ultra model will receive a Snapdragon version, its availability will be limited to select markets, making it potentially inaccessible to many European customers. The standard Galaxy S26 and S26+ are expected to utilize the Exynos 2600 globally.
Samsung previously divided its processor distribution by region with the Galaxy S21 and S22 Ultra,favoring Exynos in Europe.The complete transition to Snapdragon for the S23 Ultra was widely praised by European users. Now, the company appears to be reverting to its earlier strategy.
The performance of the galaxy S26 Ultra, onc released, will determine whether Samsung’s confidence in the Exynos 2600 is warranted and if European buyers will experience comparable performance to those in Snapdragon-exclusive regions.
