Samsung calling their 2nm GAA process competitive with TSMC’s 3nm N3P is bold given Samsung foundry has historically lagged node-for-node. The article itself shows Exynos 2600 cores clocked lower than comparable MediaTek Dimensity 9500 results, which does not inspire confidence in the claims. The real test will be sustained performance under load since Samsung’s thermal management has never been known for letting the Exynos cores sustain max clock speeds for long.

Samsung regional chip segregation forces developers to chase two different thermal ceilings and GPU driver behaviors. Exynos has historically lagged behind Snapdragon in sustained performance, and this split means app testing stacks double for anyone taking the platform seriously. At the price point the S26 targets, that overhead is unacceptable.