Samsung has acknowledged negative feedback about its processors and unveiled the Exynos 2600 chipset for the upcoming Galaxy S26 series, while leaked wallpapers suggest the flagship will arrive in six colour options, including a striking orange variant.

In a 30-second teaser video, Samsung admitted “In silence, we listened” to criticism, promising the new Exynos chip has been “refined at the core” and “optimised at every level” following years of complaints about overheating and performance issues with previous generations.

The Exynos 2600 is expected to power the standard Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus models in most markets, while the S26 Ultra will likely remain Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 exclusive.

This marks Samsung’s return to a split-chipset strategy after using only Qualcomm processors in recent flagships, including the entire S25 series.

Samsung’s Exynos chips have faced persistent criticism, forcing the company to offer Snapdragon variants in key markets like the United States, while other regions received inferior Exynos-powered models.

The performance gap led Samsung to abandon its own chips entirely for the S23 Ultra, S24 Ultra and S25 lineup.

Meanwhile, wallpapers discovered in One UI 8.5 software hint at six colour options for the Galaxy S26 Ultra: orange, silver, white, pink, black and turquoise.

Prominent leaker Ice Universe has supported these findings, suggesting orange could become the signature 2026 finish, a departure from the Ultra series’ traditionally muted palette.

Following Samsung’s recent patterns, black, white, silver and pink would likely be standard retail options, while orange and turquoise could become Samsung.com exclusives or regional variants.

The Galaxy S26 series is expected to launch in late January, with rumoured features including Qi2 magnetic charging support and larger batteries.

Camera upgrades appear modest based on current leaks, though Samsung hasn’t officially acknowledged the S26 series exists.