It’s time we blindly stop believing that Snapdragon phones are superior
The long-standing belief that Snapdragon-powered phones are inherently superior is being challenged by recent advancements in competing chipsets. MediaTek's Dimensity 9000-series and Samsung's Exynos 2600 are now offering performance comparable to Qualcomm's flagship chips. The Galaxy S26 with Exynos and the Oppo Find X9 with Dimensity 9500 exemplify this shifting landscape in smartphone processors.
- ▪MediaTek’s Dimensity 9000-series chips are now competitive with Snapdragon 8-series SoCs.
- ▪The Galaxy S26 powered by Exynos 2600 has delivered surprisingly strong performance.
- ▪Snapdragon no longer holds a clear performance advantage over rivals like Exynos and Dimensity.
- ▪The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 powers the Galaxy S26 Ultra, while the Oppo Find X9 uses the Dimensity 9500.
- ▪Smartphone processor competition has intensified, undermining the automatic preference for Snapdragon chips.
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For years, the smartphone chip conversation has been pretty straightforward. A phone with Snapdragon inside was almost always assumed to be the better option. If it had Exynos or MediaTek, the reaction was usually more doubtful. Qualcomm earned its reputation over time, but by 2026, that hierarchy no longer feels as solid. MediaTek’s last couple of Dimensity 9000-series chips have been going neck and neck with Snapdragon 8-series SoCs, while Exynos has typically trailed behind both. Now, though, the race has become a lot more interesting.
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