Galaxy S26 Ultra vs S26+: Exynos 2600 Competes Closely with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in Early Benchmarks

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Ganpat Singh Chouhan

Galaxy S26 Ultra vs S26+: Exynos 2600 Competes Closely with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in Early Benchmarks

Mumbai, February 27: Just a day after its global launch at Galaxy Unpacked, the Samsung Galaxy S26 series is already being rigorously tested. The ongoing debate between Snapdragon and Exynos has resurfaced, but this time, the performance gap appears less pronounced than in previous years.

Notably, the Exynos 2600 is Samsung’s first chip manufactured using its 2nm GAA process, while the Snapdragon variant continues to utilize TSMC’s established 3nm node. These initial results not only highlight the Qualcomm versus Exynos rivalry but also serve as an early indication of Samsung Foundry’s advancements in next-generation manufacturing.

Post-launch Geekbench 6 scores are emerging, providing a clear view of CPU performance. The Galaxy S26 Ultra achieved single-core scores of 3,670 and 3,724 in two separate tests, with multi-core results reaching 10,981 and 11,237. These figures are robust and align with expectations for Qualcomm’s optimized “for Galaxy” variants, which feature slightly higher clock speeds and aggressive performance scaling.

In contrast, the Exynos 2600 within the Galaxy S26+ recorded single-core scores between 3,105 and 3,197, and multi-core results ranging from 10,444 to 11,012. This indicates that Snapdragon leads by approximately 10 to 18 percent in CPU performance for single-threaded tasks, potentially resulting in quicker app launches and improved responsiveness under lighter loads.

The GPU performance narrative is particularly intriguing this year. In OpenCL testing, the Exynos 2600 achieved a marginally higher score of 24,240, compared to Snapdragon’s 24,152. While the difference is minimal, it carries symbolic significance.

Historically, Exynos variants have struggled not only in CPU efficiency but also in GPU stability and sustained output. If these early results hold up during extended gaming sessions and real-world thermal evaluations, Samsung may have successfully narrowed the performance perception gap.

However, it is essential to remember that these are still preliminary post-launch benchmarks. Sustained performance and battery efficiency under load will be critical factors once comprehensive reviews are released.

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