Galaxy S26 Ultra Geekbench Leak Brings Positive News for Exynos Critics
Recent leaks have revealed some encouraging information for fans hoping the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra will avoid the usual regional chipset split. While earlier reports indicated that Samsung’s flagship would rely on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (also known as Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5) for North American models, a fresh Geekbench listing suggests that the Korean variant of the S26 Ultra will also be powered by the Snapdragon chip rather than an Exynos processor.
This is significant because Samsung has historically used its in-house Exynos chips for South Korean and some other markets, while reserving Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors for North America and select regions. The recent Geekbench entry for the Korean Galaxy S26 Ultra, model number SM-S948N, shows the device running with 12GB of RAM and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, signalling a possible shift in Samsung’s chipset strategy for its premium Ultra model.
Key Specifications and Software Details
The benchmark listing confirms that the Galaxy S26 Ultra will launch with Android 16 out of the box, layered with Samsung’s latest One UI 8.5 interface. The 12GB RAM configuration seen in the prototype is likely to be one of several memory options available at launch. This aligns with previous leaks that highlighted the use of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip in the Ultra variant for North America, but now we can be more confident that the Korean market will not be receiving an Exynos-powered Ultra model.
Context and Previous Leaks
Earlier in January, Geekbench results surfaced for the North American Galaxy S26 Ultra and the vanilla S26, both equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. Meanwhile, the standard Galaxy S26 for Korea was spotted running on the Exynos 2600, Samsung’s latest in-house chip. This suggests that while the base Galaxy S26 may continue to use Exynos in some regions, the Ultra model might be unified globally under Qualcomm’s flagship processor. This could be a strategic move by Samsung to address criticism over the performance disparities between Exynos and Snapdragon variants in past generations.
The Galaxy S26 series is expected to be officially unveiled on 25 February, which is when we should get full confirmation of the specifications and regional variations.
What to Expect Next
With the Galaxy S26 Ultra likely to feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 worldwide, fans can anticipate a more consistent high-end experience regardless of region. It remains to be seen if the standard Galaxy S26 and other variants will maintain the Exynos option or follow suit. As the launch date approaches, more detailed leaks and official announcements will clarify Samsung’s final chipset strategy for its flagship line.