The 3nm GAA process was a stage that Samsung wished it could erase from its semiconductor chronicles, but as long as the company understood what it needed to do from thereon, it made complete sense. From what we have reported about frequently, the Korean firm has made a phenomenal comeback on its 2nm GAA node, with the Exynos 2600 announced by Samsung to be the first SoC mass produced on this technology, while also showcasing the first trailer. Here is everything you need to know.
A closer look at Samsung’s 2nm GAA process - A worthy alternative to TSMC’s 2nm?
To compete with TSMC, Samsung would not just need to improve its yields, but also the technological competitiveness with its foundry rival. A few months ago, we reported that the Korean giant’s 2nm GAA yields were at 30 percent, which is not ideal, but the company slowly made improvements and brought those up 50 percent. With this progress, Samsung began mass production of the Exynos 2600 in late September, suggesting that yields can be further improved to continue full-scale manufacturing without incurring heavy losses.
Moving to competitiveness, the first-generation 2nm GAA process can deliver up to 12 percent increased performance compared to 3nm GAA, up to 25 percent better power efficiency, and a 5 percent reduction in area, or at least what was perceived to be the technology's capabilities. Samsung has published official figures for its 2nm GAA process, which offers disappointing levels of improvement over the 3nm GAA.
Previous 2nm GAA performance and efficiency estimates compared to 3nm GAA
- Up to 12 percent increased performance
- Up to 25 percent better power efficiency
- 5 percent reduced area
Samsung’s disclosed figures
- Up to 5 percent increased performance
- Up to 8 percent better power efficiency
- 5 percent reduced area
For those who are unfamiliar, the Gate-All-Around (GAA) architecture enables more flexible and scalable chipset design, allowing Samsung to conserve costs and other resources. The 2nm GAA node also incorporates BSPDN, or backside power delivery, for improved power and consumption.
Specifications - CPU, GPU, NPU, and other details
Samsung had admitted that the Exynos 2600’s Neural Processing Unit will deliver a massive performance boost from its previous-generation SoC, but that was about the only information the company was willing to divulge. Even without the firm’s confirmation, there was no way to tell if it was comparing the new component with the Exynos 2500’s NPU. Thankfully, other benchmark leaks revealed the CPU’s details, with the Exynos 2600 said to sport a 10-core configuration.
The chipset would likely feature a ‘1 + 3 + 6’ cluster, but at the time, the single-core and multi-core results did not reflect the Exynos 2600’s capabilities. Fortunately, some updated single-core and multi-core results came through, and they were downright impressive, particularly the multi-threaded category, as the Exynos 2600 matches a downclocked Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
In the newer results, the single performance core ran at 3.80GHz, with the three high-power cores functioning at 3.26GHz. Lastly, we have the six efficiency cores listed at 2.76GHz. The increased core count is what gives the Exynos 2600 an edge in multi-core performance, but bumping up this number can adversely affect efficiency and raise power consumption. Fortunately, Samsung is reported to have a solution to that.
Overheating concerns of the Exynos 2600 to be addressed by Samsung’s ‘Heat Pass Block’ technology
One way for Samsung to reduce unnecessary heat output from its chipsets is to resort to a more advanced manufacturing process, which is already being implemented for the Exynos 2600. The second one is to employ a different packaging, with the Korean technology giant incorporating ‘Fan-out Wafer Level Packaging’ (FOWLP) on the Exynos 2400, making it the company’s first SoC to ship with this specific technology.
While we would not be surprised that FOWLP will be retained for the Exynos 2600, Samsung is also bringing ‘Heat Pass Block,’ (HPB) technology to its first 2nm GAA silicon. In a nutshell, the HPB will act as a heatsink similar to what we have seen in notebook cooling solutions. Samsung could also shift to an aluminum build for the Galaxy S26 series, just like Apple did with the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, leading to improved heat transfer, with an added vapor chamber in those devices being a bonus.
Exynos 2600 benchmarks - what we know so far
We have some insight into the chipset’s single-core and multi-core scores, and as mentioned above, Samsung’s SoC can take on an underclocked version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. So far, we have only come across two versions of the Exynos 2600, both of which were tested under different frequencies. The first variant’s single-threaded and multi-threaded results are posted below, with the results for the updated version present as well.
First result
- CPU configuration - 1 x 3.55GHz, 3 x 2.96GHz, 6 x 2.46GHz
- Geekbench 6 single-core and multi-core score - 2,155 and 7,788
Second result
- CPU configuration - 1 x 3.80GHz, 3 x 3.26GHz, 6 x 2.76GHz
- Geekbench 6 single-core and multi-core score - 3,309 and 11,256
As you can see, the Exynos 2600 scores some solid numbers in both of Geekbench 6 compute benchmark categories. Assuming Samsung intends to tweak its chipset a little more, those scores could witness an increment in the future.
Which Galaxy S26 version will ship with the Exynos 2600?
Typically, Samsung has sold its Galaxy S Ultra flagship exclusively with a Snapdragon chipset in every market for the last three years. With the Exynos 2600 scheduled to enter full-scale production by the end of September, we assumed that the company would outfit this silicon in the less expensive Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Edge. However, there might be a major twist in the launch strategy next year, as an analyst has estimated that the Galaxy S26 Ultra will also be powered by the Exynos 2600.
Again, Samsung will likely adopt a dual-sourcing approach, where, depending on the country you live in, you will either have the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 version of the entire Galaxy S26 series or the Exynos 2600 variants. Previously, customers who were forced to purchase the Exynos version probably felt betrayed because they were paying the same price for a technologically inferior device. As we approach the beginning of 2026, it is imperative that Samsung optimizes its flagship SoC to maintain pace with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
Potential launch
Historically, Samsung has always announced its new Exynos chipset before the next Galaxy S flagship smartphone series. Assuming the company wants to maintain the same timeline, we could witness an Exynos 2600 launch in a few months, with December potentially witnessing an unveiling.
