Official Documentation Confirms Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy S26 Ultra in Global Markets
There have been multiple rumors regarding Samsung’s upcoming non foldable flagship, the Galaxy S26 Ultra. According to these reports, the device is expected to come with Qualcomm’s latest high end mobile processor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. For a while, there was no official word from Samsung regarding this but now it appears that the information has been officially verified.
According to several leaks regarding the Galaxy S26 Ultra, some of its model numbers are said to be SM-S948B and SM-S948U. Now, the FCC has confirmed devices with these exact model numbers. The certification documents indicate that these devices are powered by the SM8850 chipset which is the official model number for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (via TheTechOutlook).
Looking at Samsung’s model numbering and naming patterns for its phones, the SM-S948B seems to represent the international version of the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the SM-S948U is probably the carrier locked version designed for the US. Taking this into account, along with the latest leaks it seems that Samsung will equip the Galaxy S26 Ultra with Qualcomm’s chipset for its global lineup.
When it comes to the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+, a previous report suggests that Samsung plans to equip these devices with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor in nearly every market around the world. The only exception appears to be South Korea, where the phones are expected to feature Samsung’s Exynos 2600 SoC. This suggests that while international users will benefit from the Snapdragon processor, Samsung’s domestic customers may experience the device with a different chipset possibly affecting performance and efficiency.
