After observing from afar the American variants, the upcoming flagship Samsung begins to speak a decidedly more familiar language.
If up to yesterday the spotlight was focused exclusively on the models SM-S942U and SM-S948U (respectively Galaxy S26 and S26 Ultra destined for the United States with Snapdragon chip), the Geekbench appearance of the model SM-S942N radically changes the cards on the table.
Behind this acronym lies the South Korean version of the Galaxy S26, a device that, due to industry habits and market logic, represents the almost identical alter ego of the variant that will hit European shelves and Italy as a whole.
Samsung Galaxy S26 with Exynos chip passes Geekbench
The most relevant technical confirmation concerns the chip under the hood: as announced by the company, the test revealed the presence of the Exynos 2600 processor. The prototype analyzed is equipped with 12 GB of RAM and based on Android 16, plausibly enriched by the One UI 8.5 interface.
For Italian users, this is not just a curiosity, but a direct window into what we will soon have in hand, confirming the strategy of a dual-processor for different markets.
The data emerging sketches a top-tier picture. The Exynos 2600 is the first world chipset built with Samsung’s 2-nanometer process and Gate-All-Around technology. This lithographic evolution is accompanied by a ten-core CPU design that uses the new ARM C1-Ultra and C1-Pro cores.
The manufacturer’s official statements speak of a 39% performance increase over the previous Exynos 2500. A figure that, if confirmed, would wipe away doubts about the proprietary silicon’s capabilities versus Qualcomm.
Graphics Power to Spare
The analysis of benchmarks has also revealed interesting graphics details. The platform includes the Samsung Xclipse 960 GPU, a component that promises to excel in mobile gaming.
Although Samsung has remained vague about the architecture, unofficial information points to a shift to RDNA 4 technology, a huge leap over the RDNA 2 seen previously.
The numbers cited are important: a doubling of compute power and a 50% improvement in ray tracing performance compared to the previous generation.
This suggests that the Galaxy S26 we will see in Italy could handle lighting effects and reflections in games with unprecedented smoothness on an Exynos device.
A Preview of What We’ll See by the End of the Month
Although a specific test of a model branded as “EU” is still missing, the appearance of the Korean variant SM-S942N is the strongest clue we have. Historically, Korea and Europe travel on the same hardware track for the base and Plus versions of the S series.
It is therefore reasonable to assume that the performance measured today on this device will, with good approximation, be the same as what we will experience at the official launch in our country.
Pre-release benchmarks should always be taken with due caution, but signals indicate an Exynos 2600 ready to compete on equal terms, promising a technologically very interesting 2026 for the European market.
