Galaxy S26 Could Feature a Samsung-Made Snapdragon Chip — Here’s Why That’s a Big Deal

There have been rumors that suggest that Samsung could use an Exynos chipset for its Galaxy S26 series. If you’re not a fan of the Exynos chipset, we might have some good news. According to tipster Digital Chat Station, the Galaxy S26 could feature a Samsung-made chipset, just not an Exynos one.

Galaxy S26 chipset of choice

For a bit of backstory, there were rumors that Samsung could have landed itself some orders for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. The chipset will be made by both TSMC and Samsung. However, there were rumors that claimed Samsung’s orders might have been cancelled. Now, this post by Digital Chat Station says otherwise.

This means that Samsung could very well produce the chipset that it could use to power its upcoming Galaxy S26 series. It’s an interesting strategy, and one that could potentially save the company money as well. However, we should point out that the version Samsung is making isn’t the same one as TSMC.

Both have different model numbers. Samsung’s version has the SM8850S, while SM8850 refers to TSMC’s version. We’re not sure if there is a difference in terms of performance. Obviously, Samsung would need to follow Qualcomm’s specifications. But it is possible that Samsung could create a more affordable, albeit slightly lower-specced version, of the chipset.

On paper, there might be some differences, but maybe it won’t be big enough to affect real-world performance. Yes, Samsung’s Exynos chipsets have typically lagged behind Qualcomm’s chipsets. We’ve seen this in benchmarks, but for the most part, day-to-day performance is the same.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge

Samsung’s thinnest phone ever, the Galaxy S25 Edge. Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, this beast measures in at just 5.8mm thick.

Samsung’s next-gen phones

The Samsung Galaxy S26 series is due to launch in 2026. We’re still quite a long way from that happening. What’s interesting is that we’re hearing rumors that Samsung could ditch the Plus model next year. It is expected to be replaced with the Galaxy S26 Edge.

We’re also hearing rumors of a potential change to the display of the Ultra model, where it could have considerably thinner bezels. The company is also expected to bump the RAM to 16GB for the Ultra model across all storage variants. In any case, take this with a grain of salt for now, and hopefully we’ll have more details to share soon.