Who remembers the once quite popular comparison videos, such as those for the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which compared a Snapdragon version from the US with its Exynos counterpart in the European model? These videos didn’t just focus on performance and efficiency, but also on differences in camera quality, such as in low-light video. If Samsung indeed makes a huge Exynos comeback next year with the first commercial 2nm chip, the Exynos 2600, and potentially uses it for the entire Galaxy S26 series in regions such as Europe, as is currently being reported, these Snapdragon-Exynos comparisons could regain popularity.
Completely redesigned ISP-NPU pipeline
Hopefully, the Galaxy S26 tests will not only confirm Samsung’s already-promised higher efficiency with reduced heat generation and similarly high performance, as some recent Geekbench leaks have suggested, but also a balanced ISP level, which is largely responsible for the features and quality of a smartphone camera. According to a currently rather controversial leaker, Samsung is working hard on a completely redesigned image processing system in the development of the Exynos 2600, promising not only console-quality gaming but also professional camera features and photo/video quality in the Galaxy S26 series.
30% more efficient than Exynos 2400 ISP
Specifically, the Exynos 2600 ISP will supposedly be able to process 320 MP from one sensor or 108 MP from three sensors in parallel, and will offer a 14-bit RAW pipeline with 5x frame fusion in HDR. 8K videos will be recorded at 4K60 in HDR10+ or alternatively in 4K120. In burst mode, the Exynos 2600 ISP is said to achieve 30 frames per second in 108 MP RAW quality. According to the leaker, the bandwidth between the ISP and NPU is estimated at 1.8 TB/s. Other supposed features include hybrid OIS and AI-EIS stabilization in real time, as well as AI-based scene segmentation and super-res zoom. Lastly, the Exynos 2600 ISP is said to consume 30% less power than the ISP in the Exynos 2400.
Skepticism is warranted
It should be noted that the leaker is under fire for various other posts, including Geekbench leaks that have not yet been verified. Many very Samsung-friendly leaks have recently tended to produce fake news, such as this Galaxy S26 specs leak from a few days ago. Therefore, we believe caution is definitely warranted in regard to this leak. However, since we cannot rule out the possibility that at least some of the information is correct, we have decided to publish it with this disclaimer.
As a young tech enthusiast with a history involving assembling and overclocking projects, I ended up working as a projectionist with good old 35-mm films before I entered the computer world at a professional level. I assisted customers at an Austrian IT service provider called Iphos IT Solutions for seven years, working as a Windows client and server administrator as well as a project manager. As a freelancer who travels a lot, I have been able to write for Notebookcheck from all corners of the world since 2016. My articles cover brand-new mobile technologies in smartphones, laptops, and gadgets of all kinds.
Growing up in regional Australia, I first became acquainted with computers in my early teens after a broken leg from a football (soccer) match temporarily condemned me to a predominately indoor lifestyle. Soon afterwards I was building my own systems. Now I live in Germany, having moved here in 2014, where I study philosophy and anthropology. I am particularly fascinated by how computer technology has fundamentally and dramatically reshaped human culture, and how it continues to do so.
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