Quick Summary
- Exynos has significantly improved, closing the performance gap with Snapdragon.
- Snapdragon still excels in sustained performance, thermal management, and camera quality.
- Battery life is now comparable between Exynos and Snapdragon models.
Table of Contents
Samsung phones often come with two different chipsets — Exynos (Samsung's in-house silicon) and Snapdragon (Qualcomm's) — depending on the region you buy them in. On paper the specs frequently look almost identical: same GPU generation, similar CPU core layout, comparable modem, and even matching clock speeds in many cases. Yet year after year real-world performance, battery efficiency, sustained gaming frame rates, thermal behavior and camera processing can tell a very different story.
Last year the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Exynos 2400 variant (in many European, Asian and some other markets) and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 version (primarily North America, China, Korea) showed this split again. In synthetic benchmarks the gap was small — often just 5–8% — but in prolonged gaming sessions, 4K video recording, multi-app multitasking and especially under heat stress the Snapdragon model pulled noticeably ahead: 10–20% higher sustained frame rates, 8–15% better battery life during heavy use, and cooler surface temperatures after 20–30 minutes of demanding workloads. The Exynos variant throttled earlier and more aggressively in several independent tests.
So the big question heading into 2026 is simple and more relevant than ever:
Has Samsung finally closed the Exynos–Snapdragon performance gap, or are we still looking at two meaningfully different experiences depending on which side of the world you live in?
With the Galaxy S25 series now official, the stakes are higher than ever. Samsung has reportedly invested heavily in Exynos 2500, including bigger NPU blocks for on-device AI, improved power efficiency on the 3 nm process node, and tighter thermal tuning. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite (or 8 Gen 4) meanwhile is pushing even higher clock speeds, a new Oryon CPU architecture and aggressive power gating.
Early leaked benchmarks, thermal camera footage from pre-production units and first hands-on reports suggest the gap has narrowed significantly — some reviewers are calling it the closest Exynos–Snapdragon matchup in years — but real-world differences in sustained performance, battery drain during 4K60 video recording, peak brightness under prolonged load, and even how aggressively the phone manages background AI tasks still vary noticeably between the two versions in controlled side-by-side tests.
For most casual users the difference may be invisible day-to-day. But if you game heavily, shoot a lot of video, push the phone in hot climates, or simply want the absolute maximum longevity and smoothness over three to four years, the chipset split remains one of the most important decisions in the flagship Android space in 2026.
Has Samsung finally fixed the Exynos problem? Let's break it down.
Peak Performance: Benchmark Results
To compare raw power, multiple popular benchmarks were used.
AnTuTu Benchmark
- Exynos: ~650,000
- Snapdragon: ~690,000
👉 Snapdragon leads by about 6%
This is already a big improvement compared to last year, where the gap was much wider.
3DMark (Graphics Test)
- Exynos: 5,303
- Snapdragon: 5,699
👉 Snapdragon ahead by around 7%
This shows Snapdragon still has an edge in graphics-heavy tasks.
GFXBench (GPU Stress Test)
- Exynos: ~66 FPS
- Snapdragon: ~70 FPS
👉 Again, about a 6% lead for Snapdragon.
Geekbench (CPU-Focused)
- Single-core: Snapdragon slightly better
- Multi-core: Exynos slightly better
Here, things are more balanced, and Exynos actually wins in some CPU workloads.
PassMark
- Exynos: ~11,900
- Snapdragon: ~11,500
👉 Exynos wins by about 3.5%
Average Peak Performance
When all benchmarks are averaged:
- Exynos is only ~3% behind Snapdragon
Considering how far Exynos has come, this is genuinely impressive.
Real-World Gaming Performance
Benchmarks are one thing, but real usage matters more.
To push both phones to their limits, a PlayStation Portable (PSP) emulator was used:
- 10× resolution
- All settings maxed out
Results:
- Exynos: ~27 FPS
- Snapdragon: Locked at 30 FPS
In normal use, both phones feel extremely fast. Differences are very hard to notice unless you intentionally stress them.
Sustained Performance & Heating (The Real Problem)
This is where things start to fall apart for Exynos.
To test sustained performance, AnTuTu was run 5 times back-to-back, with no cooling breaks.
After Continuous Load:
- Snapdragon stays about 19% ahead
- Exynos performance drops sharply
At its worst:
- Exynos score: ~477,000
(similar to a Galaxy S10 from years ago)
Temperature Comparison
- Idle temperature:
- Exynos: 43°C
- Snapdragon: 33°C
- After heavy load:
- Exynos: 68°C (154°F) ❌
- Snapdragon: 43°C
This heavy heating causes Exynos to throttle aggressively, reducing long-term performance.
Camera Differences (Surprisingly Important)
Even though both phones use:
- Same camera sensors
- Same lenses
They don't process images the same way because of different image signal processors.
Snapdragon Camera Advantages
- Better color saturation
- Brighter shadows
- More texture and detail
- Cleaner image previews
- Better zoom processing (especially at 30×)
Overall, Snapdragon images look more polished and consistent.
Where Exynos Does Better
- Slightly better pixel smoothing when heavily cropped
- Sometimes cleaner video grain reduction
Still, in most scenarios, Snapdragon delivers the better camera experience.
Battery Life (A Big Win for Exynos)
After:
- 30 minutes of benchmarks
- 30 minutes of gaming
- 30 minutes of 8K video recording
Both phones started at 100% and ended at 67%.
Considering older Exynos chips were much worse for battery, this is a huge improvement.
AI Performance
Using AI Benchmark:
- Exynos: 169,300
- Snapdragon: 130,400
Exynos actually performs better here, especially in:
- Image recognition
- Text detection
- Photo upscaling
AI benchmarks can be subjective, but results were consistent across multiple runs.
Final Verdict: Which One Is Better?
Exynos – What's Improved
✅ Much closer peak performance
✅ Battery life finally matches Snapdragon
✅ Strong AI performance
Snapdragon – Still the Winner
✅ Better sustained performance
✅ Runs cooler
✅ More consistent camera quality
✅ Overall smoother experience
Conclusion
Samsung has seriously improved Exynos, and for everyday use, it's no longer a deal-breaker. However, Snapdragon is still the superior chipset, especially for heavy users, gamers, and camera enthusiasts.
Competition is good, and Exynos moving closer is a win — but Samsung still has work to do.
📝 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Which chipset runs cooler during gaming sessions?
A: Snapdragon runs significantly cooler, reaching only 43°C under heavy load compared to Exynos's 68°C. This gives Snapdragon better sustained performance during long gaming or video recording sessions.
Q: Does Exynos still have worse battery life than Snapdragon?
A: In 2026 models, battery life is nearly identical. Both chipsets showed the same battery drain (100% to 67%) after extensive testing, marking a major improvement for Exynos compared to previous generations.
Q: Are there camera differences between Exynos and Snapdragon phones?
A: Yes! Despite using the same hardware, Snapdragon phones generally produce better-looking photos with better color saturation, brighter shadows, more detail, and superior zoom processing, especially at 30× magnification.
Q: Which chipset is better for AI tasks?
A: Exynos actually performs better in AI benchmarks (169,300 vs 130,400), excelling in image recognition, text detection, and photo upscaling tasks due to its larger NPU blocks.
Q: Should I avoid buying Exynos phones in 2026?
A: For everyday use, Exynos is no longer a deal-breaker and performs well. However, if you're a heavy gamer, do lots of video recording, or want the absolute best performance over time, Snapdragon remains the safer choice.
Q: How close is the performance gap in 2026?
A: The peak performance gap has narrowed to just ~3% on average, but sustained performance shows a larger difference (19% lead for Snapdragon) due to Exynos's thermal throttling issues.
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