Galaxy S26 Ultra Outpaces S26 in Single-Core Geekbench Test with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Chipset

As excitement builds ahead of Samsung’s next big launch, fresh benchmark results have shed light on how the upcoming Galaxy S26 models will perform. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra appears to have a clear advantage in single-core performance tests over the standard Samsung Galaxy S26 and Samsung Galaxy S26+, largely due to differences in their chipsets.

Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S26 series on February 25 in Pakistan. While the Ultra model will reportedly ship worldwide with Qualcomm’s latest processor, the regular S26 and S26+ are said to use Samsung’s in-house Exynos chip in several markets. This split strategy continues a pattern we’ve seen in previous generations.

Galaxy S26 Ultra Outpaces S26 in Single-Core Geekbench Tests with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Chipset

At the center of the performance gap is the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, which powers the S26 Ultra. This is not the standard version of the chip. Instead, it is a special “for Galaxy” edition with higher clock speeds. The Prime core in this version reaches 4.74GHz, compared to 4.61GHz in the regular Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. That extra boost may seem small on paper, but in performance testing, even slight increases in clock speed can produce noticeable gains.

In contrast, the S26 and S26+ will feature the Exynos 2600. Its top core, based on ARM’s C1-Ultra design, runs at 3.80GHz. That is almost a full gigahertz lower than the Snapdragon’s Prime core. As a result, the difference shows up clearly in benchmark results.

According to Geekbench 6 scores, the Galaxy S26 Ultra scored 3724 points in the single-core test. The Galaxy S26, powered by Exynos 2600, achieved 3197 points. This translates to roughly a 16% advantage for the Snapdragon-powered Ultra in single-core performance. Single-core speed is important for everyday tasks such as opening apps, browsing the web, and general system responsiveness. In these areas, the Ultra may feel slightly faster and smoother.

However, the gap narrows significantly in multi-core performance. The Exynos 2600 scored only about 2% lower than the Snapdragon variant in multi-core testing, which is effectively within the margin of error. This means that when all CPU cores are working together—such as during gaming, video editing, or heavy multitasking—the difference may be barely noticeable.

See Also: Samsung Increases Prices of Several Galaxy A Series Phones in Pakistan

One reason for this balance is core count. The Exynos 2600 features a deca-core (10-core) setup arranged in a 1+3+6 configuration. Meanwhile, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy uses an eight-core layout in a 2+6 configuration. Even though the Snapdragon has fewer cores, its higher clock speeds and architectural efficiency help it stay competitive. The extra cores on the Exynos help it keep up in multi-threaded workloads.

All three Galaxy S26 models will come with 12GB of RAM as standard. The S26 Ultra may also offer a 16GB RAM option, but only with the 1TB storage version. The tested units appear to have used the 12GB configuration.

We will get more details in the coming days.