Samsung still hasn’t fixed Exynos overheating issues, and it’s ruining my Galaxy S26

At a glance:\n- Exynos 2600 in Galaxy S26 Plus remains hotter than Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, with idle temps >30 °C vs <30 °C.\n- Gaming tests show aggressive throttling: 13‑minute Asphalt Legends drops from 113 fps to 80 fps as temperature climbs past 40 °C.\n- Despite heating, device stays usable, but Samsung still has to address thermal gaps for future flagship releases.\n\n## Background and past Exynos woes\nSamsung’s Exynos chipsets have struggled in recent years. The Galaxy S23 skipped Exynos entirely because of inconsistent performance, overheating, and poor efficiency, and the Galaxy S25 did the same. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite leap and Samsung’s low 3 nm yields likely influenced those decisions.\n\nThe Exynos 2500 appeared last year in the Z Flip 7, but it was a niche launch. Now, the Galaxy S26 series carries the Exynos 2600, and Samsung claims the custom processor is ready to compete.\n\n## Galaxy S26 Plus and the Exynos 2600\nThe new flagship still shows a 7 °C or so idle temperature gap compared to Snapdragon handsets. Even just flicking through menus raises the Galaxy S26 Plus internal temperature above 30 °C, while Snapdragon devices stay below.\n\nA quick look at real‑world gaming reveals the problem. The Exynos 2600 heats up faster: in a 3‑minute Asphalt Legends run it climbs 6 °C versus 3 °C on a Snapdragon. In COD Mobile and Genshin Impact the rise is 4.8 °C and 3.5 °C respectively.\n\n## Thermal performance in real‑world gaming\nBelow are the temperature and FPS figures for the three games tested on both devices:\n\nGalaxy S26 Plus [Exynos 2600]\n| Game | Start Temp (°C) | Max Temp (°C) | Mean FPS |\n|------|----------------|---------------|----------|\n| Asphalt Legends (3 min) | 33 | 239 | 12.5 |\n| COD Mobile: BR (3 min) | 32 | 36 | 8.9 |\n| Genshin Impact (3 min) | 33 | 336 | 5.1 |\n\nXiaomi 17 Ultra [8 Elite Gen 5]\n| Game | Start Temp (°C) | Max Temp (°C) | Mean FPS |\n|------|----------------|---------------|----------|\n| Asphalt Legends (3 min) | 32 | 232 | 16.5 |\n| COD Mobile: BR (3 min) | 32 | 36 | 9.9 |\n| Genshin Impact (3 min) | 33 | 336 | 5.6 |\n\nThe Exynos GPU is capped at 60 fps in COD Mobile, which helps keep temperatures closer to the competition, but the Snapdragon still delivers higher frame rates.\n\n## Comparisons with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5\nIn a 13‑minute Asphalt Legends loop, the Galaxy S26 Plus drops from an average of 113 fps to 80 fps as the phone approaches 40 °C. That 29 % drop is a clear sign of aggressive throttling.\n\nSnapdragon handsets stay cooler under lighter workloads, keeping performance steady over longer sessions. MediaTek’s Dimensity 9500 even ran cooler than the Exynos in the tests.\n\n## Implications for users and future releases\nGalaxy S26 and S26 Plus customers pay upwards of $799 for two very different gaming experiences depending on where they live. Samsung still needs to improve thermal design and GPU performance before the next flagship can truly compete.\n\n## Conclusion\nWhile the Exynos 2600 does not overheat or become unresponsive, its higher idle temperatures and faster heat‑up lead to significant throttling during demanding games. Samsung must address these gaps if it wants to re‑establish itself as a leader in flagship performance.