Fresh off wrapping up mass production of the Exynos 2500, the company has moved on to prototype production for its 2600 chip, which is expected to be featured inside next year’s Galaxy S26. Internally, it’s being treated as the poster child for Samsung’s 2nm ambitions. 

According to New Daily early test runs this year managed to eke out yields around 30 per cent, with the goal now set at surpassing 50 per cent without degrading chip performance. Risk production iwhere they build enough chips to see if the design functions in the real world are expected to commence before the end of the year.

If the chip survives risk production without collapsing under defects, full-scale manufacturing will follow early next year. The Galaxy S26 is expected to arrive by February, which means Samsung needs silicon ready a few months in advance.

The Exynos 2500 had grand plans to power the Galaxy S25, only to get benched thanks to yield disasters on Samsung’s 3nm line. If the 2nm process isn’t up to snuff, the 2600 could end up quietly shelved.

Samsung’s internal politics are riding on this one. The Exynos brand has been attempting to make a comeback since its introduction in 2011, but its dependency on Qualcomm persists.  If the 2600 delivers, it might give Samsung’s Mobile Experience, System LSI, and Foundry arms a rare win at the same time.