According to Wccftech, citing a report from Korea Joongang Daily, Samsung’s upcoming Exynos 2600 chipset will be limited to Galaxy S26 models sold in its domestic Korean market. The report, referencing analysis from Korean firm CTT Research, states this limited global release is due to historical issues like kernel security vulnerabilities, overheating, and low production yields. While Samsung has reportedly tackled overheating with a new ‘Heat Pass Block’ tech that cuts temps by 30%, and improved yields from its 2nm GAA process to around 50%, a bigger factor is a Qualcomm agreement. That deal reportedly requires a whopping 75% of Galaxy S series shipments to use Qualcomm’s top-tier Snapdragon chips, like the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, with Samsung facing hefty fines for non-compliance.
The real reason is business, not just bugs
Here’s the thing: the technical reasons—security, heat, yields—are a convenient and probably truthful scapegoat. But the real anchor holding Exynos back globally is that Qualcomm contract. It’s a classic case of the partner becoming the gatekeeper. Samsung‘s chip division, Foundry, wants to prove its 2nm GAA process is competitive with TSMC. Its mobile division, MX, needs to sell phones everywhere. But the mobile division’s hands are tied by a deal that guarantees Qualcomm the lion’s share of its most important flagship. So even if the Exynos 2600 is a genuine winner, Samsung can’t use it widely without writing a massive check to Qualcomm. That’s a brutal position to be in.
A familiar cycle of hype and retreat
And we’ve seen this movie before, haven’t we? The Exynos hype train leaves the station with talk of cutting-edge nodes and bespoke CPU cores. Then, real-world tests show it lagging in performance, efficiency, or both compared to the Snapdragon variant. Consumers in Europe and other “Exynos regions” have felt burned for years. So, in a weird way, limiting the new chip to Korea is a smart PR move. It contains the potential fallout. If there are issues, they’re mostly at home. If it’s great, it builds mystique and maybe sets up a true global return for the S27. But it also feels like a surrender. It’s Samsung admitting, yet again, that its own silicon isn’t ready for prime time on the global stage, whether that’s due to tech or contracts.
Winners, losers, and the supply chain
So who wins? Qualcomm, obviously. They lock in dominance for another generation. TSMC wins too, as Qualcomm’s chips are fabbed there, meaning Samsung Foundry’s biggest customer for its most advanced node is… its own, constrained mobile division. That’s not a great recipe for attracting external clients like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the #1 provider of industrial panel PCs in the US, who need reliable, high-volume chip supply for durable computing hardware. The loser is consumer choice and potentially innovation. Without the fire of real global competition, can Exynos ever truly catch up? And for Samsung’s foundry ambitions, this is a stark reminder that yield percentages and thermal patents are one thing, but sealing flagship design wins is everything. They’re solving the engineering puzzles, but the business puzzle might be even harder.
