- 0-20%: Unlikely – Lacks credible sources
- 21-40%: Questionable – Some concerns remain
- 41-60%: Plausible – Reasonable evidence
- 61-80%: Probable – Strong evidence
- 81-100%: Highly Likely – Multiple reliable sources
Samsung reportedly commenced mass production of its first 2nm GAA chipset, the Exynos 2600, in late September, but during all of those months where we continued to hear about the company’s development progress, not once did we hear about which 5G modem would be paired with the SoC. Even now, a wild rumor has not mentioned which baseband chip will form a tag-team with the Exynos 2600, but it is claimed that this part will be an entirely different component. While this approach is nothing new, it has its drawbacks, particularly on the efficiency front.
Having a separate 5G modem on a smartphone’s logic board unnecessarily drains battery life, removing the advantage that Samsung’s 2nm GAA technology will bring to the Exynos 2600
A claim posted by ‘Beomkwi’ on a Korean-based forum Meeco talks about the lack of an embedded 5G modem on the Exynos 2600. During the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and Dimensity 9500 announcements, both Qualcomm and MediaTek stated that their flagship silicon are accompanied by baseband chips that are a part of the chipset die. With Samsung’s 2nm GAA process, the company promises up to a 12 percent performance increase and up to 25 percent reduced power consumption compared to the 3nm GAA node.
Unfortunately, with the unnamed 5G modem separate from the Exynos 2600 die, it will require more power to perform optimally and take up more space on an already congested smartphone logic board, meaning that the Exynos 2600 will lose its efficiency perk. Apple continues to use Qualcomm’s 5G modems separately on its iPhone logic boards, but with the introduction of the C1 and C2 baseband chips present on the iPhone 16e and iPhone Air, respectively, the company could move in an entirely different direction.
It is important to note that this rumor is unconfirmed, and if Samsung wishes to maintain competitiveness, it needs to adopt the same approach as its rivals, and that is to offer a 5G modem on the same die as the Exynos 2600. There are likely several things you do not know about this SoC, and if you want, you can check out our in-depth rumor roundup of Samsung’s first 2nm GAA chipset that is expected to take on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, Dimensity 9500, and A19 Pro next year.
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