Rising Costs Push Shift to In-House Chips
Samsung is reportedly planning a major shift in its Galaxy S26 lineup by introducing in-house chips to power some of its upcoming models. According to a report from South Korea, both the Galaxy S26 Pro and Galaxy S26 Edge could run on the yet-to-be-announced Exynos 2600 SoC, which is expected to be built on a 2nm node. The decision comes as Samsung looks to reduce its growing dependence on Qualcomm processors, which has been pushing up costs.
The report highlights that Samsung’s chip procurement costs in its DX division surged to KRW 7.78 trillion (roughly Rs. 48,700 lakh crore) in the first half of 2025, compared to KRW 6.27 trillion (about Rs. 39,250 lakh crore) a year earlier. During this period, the share of mobile application processors among total raw material purchases also rose from 17.1 percent to 19.9 percent, further driving up expenses.
By switching the upcoming Galaxy S26 Pro and Edge to its Exynos 2600, Samsung aims to cut costs and rely more on its own Foundry and LSI divisions.
Galaxy S26 Ultra May Still Use Qualcomm
While Samsung appears to be moving towards its in-house processors for some devices, the flagship Galaxy S26 Ultra is still expected to ship with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipset. This follows the same approach as the Galaxy S25 series, where all models were powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC. Even the recently launched Galaxy Z Fold 7 carries the same Qualcomm processor.
The shift could also be influenced by TSMC, Qualcomm’s chip supplier, which has reportedly raised its prices. To maintain competitiveness, Samsung is considering a stronger focus on Exynos-powered smartphones. Adding to this momentum, Samsung has already tested its 2nm technology in partnership with Tesla for EV chip production, where it demonstrated stability and yield performance.
If successful, the Exynos 2600 could debut in the Galaxy S26 Pro and Galaxy S26 Edge, marking a significant step for Samsung as it balances performance, cost, and self-reliance in its flagship smartphone strategy.
