Samsung just pulled off a world first for Android phones

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra — (Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

Quick Summary

Samsung has revealed the Galaxy S26 series, with the base and Plus models the first Android phones to feature Samsung's Exynos 2600 chip – that being the world's first 2nm process mobile chip.

Note, however, that Samsung's chip won't appear in the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which sports the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 'for Galaxy', while the USA, China and Japan will also feature Qualcomm chips across all S26 models.

It was back during Qualcomm's Snapdragon Summit last year that the chip-maker revealed it would continue an ongoing partnership with Samsung – but, as it turns out, that's not universal across all of the phone-maker's flagship devices.

Samsung just revealed the Galaxy S26 series at its Unpacked launch event – comprised of base Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra – with two of those three delivering a world-first for Android phones.

Just what, exactly? For many regions, inside the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus you'll find Samsung's own Exynos 2600 chipset, which is the first 2-nanometre process mobile chip to make it into any Android handsets.

It's not in the top-tier Galaxy S26 Ultra, however, which continues with the Qualcomm partnership, housing the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 'for Galaxy' instead. That's the case in all regions, all around the globe.

In the USA, China and Japan regions, however, the base Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus will also house Qualcomm's chip. So it's not a universal application of hardware.

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Exynos 2600 was revealed in late 2025 by Samsung, so its use was an inevitability. Its performance, however, has only more recently come to light – with many outlets reporting on the first benchmarking test scores appearing online.

Just how does Exynos 2600 weigh up? It seems that Samsung's graphics (GPU) scores are sky-high, outclassing its core rival. Qualcomm's higher clock speeds mean greater single-core performance and raw output overall, however.

The real test, though, will be down to real-world performance. Will 2nm mean better efficiency for greater longevity? How will thermal output be handled – and will Samsung's home-grown or Qualcomm's specially specified chip prove best in these design configurations?

I'm sure that more information will come to light, with all the Galaxy S26 handsets due to go on sale 11 March. Pre-orders are open right now, with double storage discount deals (not in the USA, much like the Exynos chip itself) also part of the appeal.

Mike is T3's Tech Editor. He's been writing about consumer technology for 15 years and his beat covers phones – of which he's seen hundreds of handsets over the years – laptops, gaming, TV & audio, and more. There's little consumer tech he's not had a hand at trying, and with extensive commissioning and editing experience, he knows the industry inside out. As the former Reviews Editor at Pocket-lint for 10 years where he furthered his knowledge and expertise, whilst writing about literally thousands of products, he's also provided work for publications such as Wired, The Guardian, Metro, and more.

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