Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra tipped to be a performance beast

Qualcomm's rumored next-gen chipset could unlock serious power

By John McCann Published September 2, 2025

The screen on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. — Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

What’s happened? The iPhone 17 might be days away, but the latest leak has us looking forward to next year, with rumors the Galaxy S26 Ultra could be an absolute performance beast.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is tipped to run Qualcomm’s next generation flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (previously rumored as the 8 Elite 2).
According to reliable leaker Digital Chat Station, the 8 Elite Gen5 will be available in varying frequencies.
They claim the first phones – from the likes of Xiaomi and OnePlus – to pack the chip will see a clock speed of 4.61GHz, but there will be a more powerful version which Samsung will debut.
According to the leak, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen5 in the Galaxy S26 Ultra with run a faster clock speed, which apparently hits a staggering score of 4 million on the Antutu benchmark test.

Why it matters: If the Galaxy S26 Ultra can hit a score close to 4 million on Antutu, it will signal a major leap forward in smartphone performance.

The current highest-scoring phone on the Antutu benchmark site is the Red Magic 10 Pro, with a score of 2.67 million.
Meanwhile the Galaxy S25 Ultra finds itself in 15th place, with a score of 2,156,040.
With Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset reportedly hitting over 4 million, we’re looking at almost a doubling of performance for the S26 Ultra over its predecessor.
An increase of this magnitude should mean smoother multitasking, faster gaming, and better AI capabilities.

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Okay, so what’s next? Expect more details to leak as we approach the Galaxy S26 series launch, potentially in early 2026.

If the AnTuTu rumors hold – and for now, we need to take them with a sizable pinch of salt – Samsung could dominate benchmarks, but real-world tests will tell if it translates to noticeable gains over rivals.

Qualcomm is expected to announce its next flagship Snapdragon chip towards the end of September, when we might learn more about this rumored performance uplift.

Want to stay ahead of the curve on the latest smartphone releases? Check out these articles for in-depth leaks and rumors about upcoming flagship devices:

Former Managing Editor

John has been a consumer technology & automotive journalist for over a decade.

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