Exynos 2600’s RDNA4 GPU Promises Major Gains in Mobile Graphics

Samsung’s Exynos chips are making a grand return to the flagship scene soon. The Exynos 2600 is widely expected to power the Galaxy S26 series, at least in some regions. The new chip integrates the Xclipse 960 GPU based on AMD’s RDNA4 architecture, marking the first time RDNA4 appears in a smartphone chipset. Designed in-house by Samsung on its MGFX4 graphics technology, it promises a big performance boost.

Samsung brings AMD RDNA4 graphics to smartphones with Exynos 2600

Samsung is rumored to break away from AMD for GPU solutions for its Exynos chips. According to reports, the Exynos 2800’s GPU (expected in late 2027) will be developed fully in-house. Of course, there’s plenty of time for that, but the company has reportedly started taking steps toward its goal. Reports claim Samsung designed the Exynos 2600’s Xclipse GPU in-house, while still using AMD’s Radeon-based graphics architecture.

A semiconductor industry official explained that Samsung receives core IP from AMD and then designs the internal circuits and physical layout itself. On paper, the Xclipse 960 GPU retains the same structural layout as its predecessor. It features eight Workgroup Processors (WGPs), AMD’s fundamental compute blocks in RDNA-based GPUs, with each WGP typically containing two Compute Units.

However, Samsung has slightly reduced the maximum GPU clock speed from 999MHz to 980MHz. Despite this, the company claims the Xclipse 960 delivers roughly double the computing performance of the previous generation. The lower clock ceiling suggests Samsung is prioritizing power efficiency and sustained performance rather than chasing peak frequencies, an important trade-off in thermally constrained smartphones.

Early Geekbench 6 results offer a glimpse into where Exynos 2600 stands. The chip reportedly scores around 22,000 in OpenCL and 22,800 in Vulkan. By comparison, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 typically reaches about 23,900 in OpenCL and 27,600 in Vulkan, giving it a 10–20% lead in raw GPU benchmarks.

While those numbers favor Qualcomm, benchmarks alone don’t tell the full story, especially with Samsung introducing new software-level GPU optimizations. Samsung has also equipped the Exynos 2600 with Exynos Neural Supersampling. This technology uses AI-based upscaling to boost frame rates and improve image quality without increasing GPU workload. It could help narrow the real-world performance between Exynos and Snapdragon chips.