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On December 19, 2025, Samsung Electronics officially introduced the Exynos 2600, the first commercial mobile processor engraved in 2 nanometers (2 nm) using the Gate‑All‑Around (GAA) architecture. This launch comes a few months before the expected big reveal of the Galaxy S26 in early 2026, marking a technological turning point for the company and for the semiconductor industry. Samsung's objective is to return to the forefront of high-end mobile processors, after several generations of Exynos deemed to lag behind Qualcomm's Snapdragons or Apple chips.
2nm engraving represents the most advanced manufacturing technology to date for a mobile SoC. Compared to the 3nm used on many competing chips, the 2nm process makes it possible to integrate more transistors on the same surface, increasing performance while reducing power consumption. The GAA (Gate‑All‑Around) architecture, which completely surrounds the channel of each transistor, improves electrical control and limits thermal losses and current leaks, thus promoting greater stability and energy efficiency.
The Exynos 2600 is a SoC (System‑on-Chip) integrating CPU, GPU, and NPU that is highly optimized for modern uses.
One of the key strengths of the Exynos 2600 is its embedded AI capability, which allows intelligent tasks to be performed on the device without relying on the cloud, such as voice assistants or smart photo editing. The GPU and NPU offer improved graphics and AI performance according to Samsung, but independent verification is yet to come. The chip supports high-resolution cameras and 8K video with advanced codecs, according to Samsung's announcements. To address historical overheating issues seen on some Exynos generations, Samsung incorporated a heat dissipation solution, the Heat Path Block (HPB), to maintain performance under prolonged load.
With the Exynos 2600, Samsung seeks to strengthen its competitiveness in the premium mobile semiconductor segment. By mastering more of the design components that are essential to the manufacturing process in-house.
The company aims to reduce its dependence on competitors like Qualcomm, while improving its margins and its capacity for innovation. The chip should equip Galaxy S26 models in some markets (Europe, Asia), but challenges related to production yields and agreements with Qualcomm could limit its universal integration. Be that as it may, this launch marks a close race with Apple and Qualcomm on 2nm technologies and mobile AI performance as the first devices using this technology are expected as early as February 2026.
