Samsung’s Dual Leak: Exynos chip plans for Galaxy S26 and five new One UI app upgrades revealed

Samsung fans are getting a sneak peek at future hardware and software changes coming to Galaxy devices. New reports offer details on which processor will power the upcoming Galaxy S26 series and reveal that some refreshed app designs, meant for a future operating system update, are already available for current users.

It seems the choice of the main processor for the next line of flagship phones will once again depend on where you live. Leaked information suggests that the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus might only use Samsung’s own new Exynos 2600 processor for customers in South Korea. Meanwhile, the most powerful phone in the line, the Galaxy S26 Ultra, will use the high-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip from Qualcomm for everyone around the world.

There are a few key reasons for Samsung’s careful approach. Firstly, the company is confident that the new Exynos 2600 is much better than past versions, especially in how fast it is and how well it saves battery power. Secondly, the factory process used to make the new 2nm chip is still new, and right now, only about half of the chips made are good enough to use.

This shortage means Samsung cannot make enough Exynos 2600 processors to sell the phone everywhere. Finally, Samsung has a long-standing business deal with Qualcomm that requires the majority—at least 75%—of its top-tier Galaxy S phones to use Snapdragon chips. For this reason, most regions outside of South Korea will likely get the Snapdragon version of the S26 and S26 Plus.

In other news, if you use a Galaxy phone running the One UI 8 software right now, you can get an early look at five official apps that are being redesigned for the upcoming One UI 8.5 update. This is like getting a small taste of the new operating system before it officially launches.

Five key apps have received a stylish new look: Calculator, Calendar, Clock, Internet (Samsung’s web browser), and Reminder. The changes give these apps a fresh, modern feel with a new design that includes a floating navigation bar at the bottom.

The Calculator app even has a special enhanced icon with a cool 3D effect. These apps look fantastic in both light and dark modes, showing a much more refined and elegant style that Samsung is planning for its future software.

To get these updated apps early, you will need to manually download and install the new files onto your phone. Because of Samsung’s built-in security tool called Auto Blocker, users must temporarily switch this feature off in the settings before installing the new app files. Once the apps are installed, Auto Blocker can be safely turned back on.