Samsung May Be Preparing a Faster Exynos 2600 Chip for Galaxy S26 Ultra

A few days ago, an underclocked version of Samsung’s Exynos 2600 flagship processor appeared on a benchmarking platform. Now, the original version with a faster CPU has resurfaced, suggesting that the company may be developing two variants of its first 2nm chip. This could be a strategic move to offer differentiated performance tiers or to tailor the SoC across multiple device lines.

Samsung may have two Exynos 2600 variants in the pipeline

The Exynos 2600 features a deca-core CPU in a 1+3+6 configuration. Early leaks revealed a peak speed of 3.80 GHz for the lone prime core, 3.26 GHz for the three mid-cores, and 2.76 GHz for the six base cores. However, a new variant surfaced last week with lower frequencies (1×3.55 GHz + 3×2.96 GHz + 6×2.46 GHz). This led to speculation that Samsung may have throttled the chip for optimal thermal performance.

Now, the faster variant has surfaced again, delivering a notable performance boost. The latest Geekbench listing shows a single-core score of 3,455 and a multi-core score of 11,621 (via @Jukanlosreve/X). These figures are higher than what the Exynos 2600 achieved in previous Geekbench runs, even at its full speed. This suggests continued development and optimizations behind the scenes.

Samsung may be testing two Exynos 2600 variants with a tiered performance strategy. The faster model might be aimed at the Galaxy S26 Ultra, while the slower version could go into the “Plus” and base Galaxy S26 models to manage cost, power, thermals, and yield. There have been rumors of Samsung potentially using the Exynos 2600 in its Ultra flagship next year, at least in some regions.

Alternatively, the company might reserve the lower-clocked variant for other Galaxy devices. Perhaps the long-rumored Galaxy S26 Edge isn’t completely off the table after all. Since thermal management remains a major challenge for thinner phones, slightly throttling the chip could be a smart move. Samsung might even brand the slower version as the Exynos 2600e, using it in the next Flip or Fan Edition, similar to how the Exynos 2400e powered the Galaxy S24 FE. More details will likely surface in the months ahead.