For years, the smartphone chip discussion has been straightforward. A phone with Snapdragon inside has always been considered to be the best. If it had Exynos or MediaTek, the reaction was often more skeptical. Qualcomm earned its reputation over time, but in 2026, that dynasty no longer feels strong.
MediaTek’s last pair of Dimensity 9000-series chips have been neck and neck with Snapdragon 8-series SoCs, while Exynos tends to trail behind the two. However, now the competition is very interesting.
My recent time with the Galaxy S26, which is powered by the Exynos 2600, has already surprised me in terms of performance. And once you widen the lens to include the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in the S26 Ultra and the Dimensity 9500 in devices like the Oppo Find X9, the whole “Snapdragon automatically fits better” idea starts to show some cracks.
| Benchmark | Galaxy S26 (Exynos 2600) | Galaxy S26 Ultra (Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5) | Oppo Find X9 (Dimensity 9500) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu total | 3,101,654 | 3,638,265 | 3,512,048 |
| Geekbench 6 Single-Core | 3,036 | 3,524 | 3,207 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi-Core | 10,534 | 10,823 | 9,345 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Extreme | 6,366 | 6,519 | 7,142 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test Stability (%) | 53.5 | 63.2 | 54.9 |
| Temperature After Pressure Test (°C) | 40.2 | 38.7 | 39.2 |
The Galaxy S26 was a pleasant surprise
The simple surprise here is that the Exynos 2600 doesn’t show up as an obvious weak link. In my tests, the base Galaxy S26 scored 3,036 single-core and 10,534 multi-core on Geekbench 6, and an AnTuTu score of 2,859,177. Historically, Samsung has released its flagship devices in two variants. Historically, Samsung has released its flagship devices in two variants. North America, China, and Japan got Snapdragon versions, while the rest of the world got Exynos processors. The company has faced a lot of criticism for that split because older flagship models on Exynos chips often fall behind their Snapdragon-powered counterparts.
That, along with chip manufacturing issues, pushed Samsung to make several generations of Galaxy S phones exclusively with Snapdragon processors. But it looks like Exynos is back. In 3DMark Wild Life Extreme, the Galaxy S26 scored 6366. Stress test results are more mixed, yielding 53.5% stability in the stress test. These are healthy numbers for a small flagship, especially for many people who are probably ready to throw away time when they see “Exynos” on the specification sheet.
The S26 Ultra is faster, but not by much
The Galaxy S26 Ultra still has its advantages, and that’s not really surprising. The Wild Life Extreme Stress Test posted a world-leading loop score of 6,519 and 63.2% stability, helped by its larger vapor cooling chamber setup. So yes, overall thermal performance was better, but not by the kind of margin that completely changes the conversation when comparing it to the standard S26. In both AnTuTu and Geekbench, the Galaxy S26 Ultra led the pack. The Exynos still lags a bit, but the lag is no longer the kind you’d see in normal day-to-day operation.
The S26 Ultra is clearly faster, but the difference is nowhere near as old as the old Snapdragon-versus-Exynos comparison. Especially when comparing GeekBench scores, the performance is almost identical. Even without the advanced cooling setup, the Galaxy S26 managed to stay surprisingly close to the S26 Ultra in the stress test. The Ultra clearly pulls forward stability, which is very important when you start talking about continuous performance under load.
MediaTek is the part that makes racing fun
Dimensity 9500 in Oppo Find X9 Pro is what makes this discussion interesting. Its Geekbench 6 single-core score of 3,203 surpasses the base Galaxy S26, while its AnTuTu score of 3,512,048 is ahead as well. In 3DMark Wild Life Extreme, it posted 7,142, which puts it above both the S26 and S26 Ultra.
MediaTek no longer presents itself as “another” premium chip brand. It puts the numbers at a high level and stays in the same conversation with Qualcomm and Samsung’s internal silicon. For a long time, Dimensity’s chips were seen as a budget-friendly alternative powering cheap mid-range phones. Results like this show just how much MediaTek has done in the high end. There’s still a weak point here, which is 54.9% stress test stability, which trails the S26 Ultra.
Snapdragon still makes great chips, and the S26 Ultra easily proves that. But reputation alone is no longer a substitute for real results. The Exynos 2600 has enough performance to keep up, and the Dimensity 9500 is close enough in raw horsepower to make the flagship chip race feel pretty competitive again.
