Samsung's two biggest hopes for the Galaxy S26 might be crushed

There's been a lot of speculation about the Galaxy S26, particularly its chipset, as Samsung using Exynos 2500 for the Galaxy Z Flip 7 has raised expectations that the company may bring the Exynos back for the Galaxy S series as well.

Even if it used Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon chip for some variants, it would have hoped to win a manufacturing order from Qualcomm, but the latest rumors suggest both of those hopes could end up being crushed.

A new rumor claims that the Galaxy S26 series uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 2. It doesn't specify whether some or all models will get the chipset, but the implication appears to be that the Exynos 2600 won't find its way to the flagship lineup.

It would crush hopes of Samsung's semiconductor division which has longed for Exynos to find its place in the mobile division's top devices.

The foundry division has been trying to get orders for its advanced nodes so that it can deploy the expensive capacity it has installed to earn greater revenue. There have been rumors that Qualcomm might have a separate version of the upcoming Snapdragon chip that would be used just for Samsung devices and made by Samsung.

However, today's rumor also crushes those hopes, claiming that the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 will be made by TSMC. All orders could go to the Taiwan-based foundry, as they did for last year's Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset.

It's still early days and there's bound to be conflicting information about the matter but as things stand, it doesn't look promising for Samsung.