Android phones could leave iPhone behind in 2026 – and here's why

We're about to go into a busy season for chip launches.

Qualcomm is just about host Snapdragon Summit where it will reveal the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 – it's next-gen hardware designed to power 2026's phones. Meanwhile, in a pre-emptive move, an announcement from MediaTek and a timely leak from Samsung, could spoil the party.

With three big names gearing-up to release new hardware, that could see Android devices accessing more power than ever before, and taking a step ahead of the hardware that Apple is packing into the new iPhone.

According to information appearing from news sources in Korea, Samsung is going to be the first smartphone manufacturer to use a 2nm chip in its devices. The Exynos 2600 is reported to be going into production, with Samsung intending it to power the Samsung Galaxy S26 devices.

It will come in to replace the Exynos 2500, which didn't get widely used because of performance problems. That now seems to be in the past, with Samsung's intent to move Galaxy phones back to Exynos and away from Qualcomm.

This has caused controversy in the past as Exynos is often deemed to be less powerful than Snapdragon, but with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 expected to remain as a 3nm solution, Samsung could (finally) have the advantage.

There's nothing official so far, but the timing of the leak isn't an accident, it's a move to control the narrative before Qualcomm's big announcement.

Then we have the MediaTek announcement, which is a little more definitive. It confirms that the company has, together with TSMC, also developed a chip using 2nm technology.

MediaTek even puts some figures on it, saying that the jump forward in technology could lead to an 18% increase in performance at the same power levels, or a 36% power reduction at the same speed. What does this mean? It means greater efficiency, longer battery life and better overall performance.

The catch here is that MediaTek has confirmed that the first hardware is likely to appear in late 2026 – probably as Dimensity 9600.

What this all boils down to, is that if Samsung's new 2nm chip delivers on its promises, it could steal a march on other devices, powering the Galaxy S26 from as early as January 2026, while other phone manufactures are left waiting.

That could see Samsung's devices outpacing the new iPhone 17 and depending on the launch cycle for MediaTek, it could mean there are other Android devices in place before Apple makes its own upgrade with the iPhone 18.

However, this playing field will undoubtedly level itself. Apple Silicon is manufactured by TSMC and Samsung, so in many ways, producing 2nm hardware reliably for other brands paves the way for Apple to do the same. TSMC and Samsung also manufacture Qualcomm hardware, so the same applies there.

Ultimately, 2026 could be a really interesting year for smartphone performance, with Samsung taking an early lead. But it's likely that everyone else will catch up towards the end of the year.