Samsung's Galaxy S26 for South Korea has appeared on Geekbench with the new Exynos 2600 chipset, revealing performance details ahead of the phone's expected launch.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 for South Korea has made its debut on Geekbench, revealing key details about the upcoming flagship smartphone. The SM-S942N model, which is Samsung's Korean variant of the Galaxy S26, was spotted running the popular benchmarking tool with the new Exynos 2600 chipset, confirming earlier rumors about the processor's inclusion in certain regional variants.
Exynos 2600: Samsung's 2nm Breakthrough
The Exynos 2600 represents a significant technological milestone as the world's first 2nm mobile chipset. Built on Samsung's advanced 2nm Gate-All-Around (GAA) node technology, this processor marks a substantial leap forward in semiconductor manufacturing. The chipset features a 10-core CPU configuration that utilizes ARM's latest C1-Ultra and C1-Pro cores, designed to deliver enhanced performance and efficiency.
According to Samsung's claims, the Exynos 2600 CPU delivers a remarkable 39% performance improvement over its predecessor, the Exynos 2500. This generational leap suggests Samsung has made significant strides in both architecture and manufacturing processes, potentially closing the performance gap that has historically existed between Exynos and Snapdragon variants in Samsung's flagship lineup.
Performance Benchmarks Revealed
The Geekbench results provide our first real-world performance glimpse of the Exynos 2600 in action. The Korean Galaxy S26 (SM-S942N) achieved a single-core score of 3,315 and a multi-core score of 3,378. For comparison, the US variant of the Galaxy S26, which features the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, scored slightly higher with a single-core score of 3,378.
These results are particularly interesting when viewed alongside last year's Galaxy S25, which scored 3,175 in single-core performance using the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy variant. The modest but noticeable improvement in the new generation suggests incremental rather than revolutionary performance gains, though the Exynos 2600 appears to be closing the gap with its Snapdragon counterpart.
Memory and Software Configuration
The benchmark listing confirms that the Korean Galaxy S26 will come equipped with 12GB of RAM, providing ample memory for multitasking and demanding applications. The device was running Android 16, which is expected to be paired with Samsung's One UI 8.5 skin. This software combination should offer the latest Android features alongside Samsung's refined user interface experience.
Graphics Capabilities: Xclipse 960 GPU
Geekbench reports the presence of a Samsung Xclipse 960 GPU in the Exynos 2600 configuration. Samsung claims this graphics processor delivers double the compute power and 50% higher ray tracing performance compared to the Exynos 2500's GPU. While Samsung provided limited architectural details, unofficial sources suggest the Xclipse 960 is based on AMD's RDNA 4 architecture, representing a significant upgrade from the RDNA 2 architecture used in previous generations.
This graphics enhancement could prove particularly important for mobile gaming and graphics-intensive applications, potentially making the Exynos variant more competitive with Snapdragon models in terms of graphical performance.
Regional Availability Still Unclear
Despite the Korean model's appearance on Geekbench, Samsung has not officially confirmed which regions will receive the Exynos 2600-powered Galaxy S26 models. While rumors have suggested that Korea and Europe will be primary markets for the Exynos variant, we have yet to see a European Galaxy S26 appear on benchmarking platforms.
This regional split strategy has been a point of contention among Samsung fans in the past, with some markets consistently receiving Snapdragon variants while others got Exynos models. The performance parity suggested by these early benchmarks might help alleviate some of those concerns if Samsung can maintain similar performance levels across regional variants.
Looking Ahead to the Galaxy S26 Launch
The appearance of both Snapdragon and Exynos variants on Geekbench suggests that Samsung is preparing for a coordinated global launch of the Galaxy S26 series. With the Exynos 2600's 2nm manufacturing process and claimed performance improvements, Samsung appears to be positioning this generation as a potential turning point in its in-house chipset development.
As we approach the expected launch window, more details about the Galaxy S26 series are likely to emerge, including camera specifications, battery capacity, and additional regional variants. The performance shown in these early benchmarks provides a promising foundation, but real-world testing will ultimately determine how the Exynos 2600 compares to its competitors in daily use.
The Galaxy S26 series is expected to launch in early 2026, following Samsung's typical flagship release schedule. With both Exynos and Snapdragon variants now appearing in benchmark databases, the stage is set for what could be one of Samsung's most competitive flagship launches in recent years.
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