We have reached that part of the year where we are looking forward to all the probabilities which will come with the coming year.
In one such event, Samsung is all set to kick off a year of smartphone launches with the flagship Galaxy S26 Ultra in early 2026.
What To Expect In Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra?
This is important as it would set the tone for specifications, software, and services for the market to follow throughout the year.
While all this is expected, the Samsung community just wants to hear the answer to one question about the flagship – Exynos or Snapdragon?
Finally this question is answered as regulatory filings offered an answer to that question this week and interestingly it is one that the community will welcome.
For the doubters, these details come from the ever-reliable FCC certification, which is required before a product launch in the United States.
So far, the brand has listed two model numbers including SM-S948B and SM-S948U, which align with Samsung’s naming conventions and prior leaked details for the S26 Ultra.
Here mentioned “U” suffix denotes a carrier-specific model sold in the US, on the other hand “B” version is the unlocked version sold globally.
Interestingly, both of these listed variants are listed as using SM8850; which matches the model number of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
Exynos Or Snapdragon ?
Now comes the question of the Galaxy S26 Ultra running the homegrown Exynos chipset, or the external Snapdragon chipset.
So far, the broad question has been answered although there may be separate arrangements in other territories.
It appears that the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra will be running Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
When it comes to China’s 3C (China Compulsory Certification), it lists a Galaxy S26 Ultra model for the Chinese market as SM-9480.
Basically, this documentation lists the available connectivity options and confirms the presence of direct satellite connectivity in China.
As we already know that the S25 Ultra’s satellite connectivity supports regular and emergency messaging, so the S26 Ultra will also match it at a minimum 3C also lists the charger that Samsung will supply with the S26 Ultra.
Besides this, it will offer 60W wired charging which is up from the current 45W wired charging, further matching the rumors of a 0 to 80 percent charge in thirty minutes on a 5,000 mAh battery, and 25W wireless charging.
There is a perception that the Snapdragon chipset is the better choice for previous Galaxy S handsets compared with the Exynos models.
According to this, Snapdragon is regarded as offering higher performance and better thermal performance than Exynos.
Although, the margins are small, and the Exynos is more efficient while offering longer battery life.
But now these margins are small and shrinking with each iteration.
As per its previous trend, Samsung is expected to host a Galaxy Unpacked event in late January 2026 and that’s a perfect opportunity to launch the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+, and Galaxy S26 Ultra are expected to be launched.
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