Samsung could make its own Galaxy S26 chips, but they're not Exynos
TL;DR A prominent leaker has claimed that the Samsung-made Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 is still in the works.
This chip is said to be cheaper than the TSMC-made version, which could be good news for Galaxy S26 pricing.
However, Samsung-made chips have historically lagged behind TSMC-manufactured variants.
We've heard conflicting rumors that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 processor, expected to be used in the Galaxy S26 series, could be manufactured by both TSMC and Samsung. Now, a reliable leaker has reiterated this claim.
Digital Chat Station on Weibo has claimed that the so-called SM8850s chipset hasn't been canceled yet due to its cheaper price. Leakers previously used the SM8850s model number to refer to the Samsung-made Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 processor. Meanwhile, the SM8850 part number refers to the standard (i.e., TSMC-made) processor.
The leaker also asserted in a follow-up comment that the Samsung-made chip would be cheaper than the TSMC-made processor.
If Qualcomm goes ahead with this dual-sourcing strategy, I expect the Galaxy S26 series to use the Samsung-made chipset. A cheaper Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 chip could be good news for these phones, as Samsung could theoretically offer a price freeze on the Galaxy S26 series. A cheaper Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 could also be handy for base flagships from other brands (e.g., Xiaomi 16, HONOR Magic 8), allowing for price freezes or upgrades in different areas.
There is a potential downside to this strategy, though. Samsung has traditionally lagged behind TSMC on the chip manufacturing front. This disparity previously manifested itself in chips with reduced performance and efficiency. So I'd expect the TSMC-made Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 to offer better performance and battery life than the Samsung-made part. Then again, it's entirely possible that the Samsung-made Snapdragon chip is comparable to the TSMC-made version, for once.
This news also comes as Samsung apparently aims to offer the in-house Exynos 2600 chip inside some Galaxy S26 series models. So it looks like chip choice isn't a certainty for these phones just yet.
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