The race to achieve chipset autonomy for Samsung began with the Exynos 2600, which is found in various Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+ models, and is the company’s first 2nm GAA SoC. Needless to say, the Korean giant has made up its mind to put all of its faith in Qualcomm and has decided to jumpstart its silicon division to ensure that it doesn’t need to rely on any other firm for this specific part. However, the Exynos 2600 would likely not have materialized if Samsung’s incessant mistakes had not led to a $3 billion loss last year in the form of an expense, where it purchased Snapdragon 8 Elite shipments to use in its Galaxy S25 series.
The price for not using its own chipsets was certainly a steep one, which is also why Samsung’s Exynos 2700 adoption is reportedly increasing for the Galaxy S27 family
Assuming that Samsung exclusively used Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in the Galaxy S26 series, we’d either witness the company’s margins becoming razor-thin or customers being forced to pay a premium. Either way, it wasn’t going to be a great look for the flagship smartphone lineup had the Exynos 2600 not arrived, and even then, Samsung’s top-end offering for this year, the Galaxy S26 Ultra, continues to ship with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and is the most popular handset from the trio.
The situation eventually went from bad to worse when the DRAM crisis struck, and despite Samsung controlling the memory supply, the Galaxy S26 price hike was inevitable. Still, with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 estimated to be priced at $280 per unit, the arrival of the Exynos 2600 could not have happened at a more opportune moment, despite the fact that the latter only makes up 25 percent of all Galaxy S26 shipments.
Not everyone will be pleased with daily driving an Exynos 2600-powered Galaxy S26 or Galaxy S26+, as The Elec has pointed out in one of its op-ed pieces, but if Samsung hadn’t lost $3 billion on chipset expenses to Qualcomm, we doubt the company would have been encouraged to take this route.
Also, with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 arriving later this year, the jump to the 2nm process is going to push up prices like there’s no tomorrow. Obviously, Samsung has a plan to tackle Qualcomm’s impending launch, and it doesn’t involve losing more money to chipset expenses.
Instead, the Exynos 2700 has been reported to be found in 50 percent of all Galaxy S27 shipments, allowing Samsung to reduce its burden of having to rely on Qualcomm again. It’s definitely going to be a painful journey for the Korean technology behemoth, but it’s a lot less painful knowing you don’t have to fork over billions in losses each year.
News Source: The Elec
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech’s mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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