Samsung Galaxy S26: Exynos 2600 chip disappoints in battery test
The Samsung Galaxy S26 and the Galaxy S26+ are again based on different chipsets this year depending on the region. In most markets, the Exynos 2600 chip sits at the helm, while buyers in the US and China get the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 instead.
The editors of Android Addicts managed to get their hands on both a European Samsung Galaxy S26 with the Exynos 2600 and a US version with the SD 8 Elite Gen 5, and subjected both smartphones to a battery test. The other specifications were identical. Both Galaxy phones had a 4,300 mAh battery, 12 GB of RAM, and 512 GB of storage. They were also connected to the same 5G network. Wi-Fi was disabled.
In the first part of the comparison, a one-hour phone test was conducted, during which the Snapdragon version lost 3% of its battery charge, while the Exynos version consumed one percent more. This was followed by a 30-minute 4K 30FPS video recording with subsequent fast encoding, during which the Exynos variant was unable to complete the process due to overheating.
From then on, the Exynos version consistently showed higher energy consumption on Google Maps, social media apps (TikTok and X), benchmarks and video calls via WhatsApp. The video’s host also noted that the Exynos version felt significantly hotter than the Snapdragon model.
Samsung Galaxy S26 with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is the clear test winner
After exactly 6 hours and 48 minutes, the Samsung Galaxy S26 equipped with the Exynos 2600 switched off, while the variant with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip lasted another 2 hours and 38 minutes. Expressed as a percentage: The Snapdragon version of the S26 lasted almost 39% longer than its Exynos 2600 counterpart.
