Galaxy S26 Ultra's chipset is confirmed, and it won't be skimp on performance

The Galaxy S26 is set to launch sometime in early 2026. The exact launch date remains unclear, with leakers divided on whether Samsung’s last-minute changes (or rather, the reversal of those changes) to the lineup could lead to a delay. Similarly, there have been speculations about the chip of choice, with leaks suggesting Samsung might equip the Galaxy S26 Ultra, along with the other two models, with an Exynos chip instead of a Snapdragon in some regions. While the launch date remains uncertain, a recent certification might put speculation about the chipset to rest.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra recently visited the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), which certified it ahead of the launch. The certification document (via The Tech Outlook) includes different variants carrying SM-S948B, SM-S948B/DS, SM-S948U, and SM-S948U1, where U refers to the US variant, while B refers to the international variant for regions other than the US.

Note: while the FCC certificate does not explicitly say this is the Galaxy S26 Ultra, we’re making this assumption based on the fact that SM-S938B/U was the model number for the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

In all of these models, we see a single chipset across all regions. This is mentioned as SM8850, which is the identifier for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, confirming that it powers Galaxy S26 Ultra variants meant for both the US and regions outside the US. However, this may not be a standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 but an overclocked “For Galaxy” variant, similar to ones we’ve seen on older Samsung flagships in the recent past.

The FCC documents also mention the chip’s support for Qualcomm’s Smart Transmit Plus, an uplink boost technology limited to Qualcomm’s X85 modem found on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, further validating the notion. In addition, the handset has been certified for other communication technologies, including triple-band Wi-Fi 7, 5G, NFC, and UWB.

Apart from this information, we recently saw confirmation about changes to the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s design via references in One UI’s code. Earlier this month, a Galaxy S26 wallpaper leak also hinted at the colors to be expected from the upcoming flagship series.

Meanwhile, Samsung also teased its next in-house chip, the Exynos 2600, which is likely to power some of the base Galaxy S26 and the S26 Plus models in some regions.