Exynos was reported at 8% of global smartphone application-processor shipments in H1 2026, up from 5% in H1 2025. The three-point increase puts Samsung’s chip family back in the conversation, but it remains well behind MediaTek and Qualcomm in the global smartphone market.
Exynos’s clearest 2026 number is 8%
The H1 figure covers global smartphone system-on-chip, or SoC, shipments. A SoC combines the processor and other core components that power a phone, so this is a shipment-share measure rather than a performance ranking.
In the same H1 comparison, MediaTek held 32%, Qualcomm 22%, Apple 19%, Unisoc 13%, Samsung Exynos 8% and the Others category 5%. Exynos therefore gained ground year over year, but it did not overtake any of the four larger named vendors.
Why Galaxy S26 and Galaxy A matter
Samsung’s own smartphone portfolio is the clearest context for the change. The Galaxy S26 family used a mix of Qualcomm Snapdragon and Samsung Exynos processors, depending on the market. That differs from the Snapdragon-only Galaxy S25 lineup described in the same market coverage.
Exynos was also reported in Samsung’s mid-range Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37. Those models were associated with the Exynos 1680 and Exynos 1480, respectively. Together, the flagship and mid-range examples show how Samsung can increase Exynos shipments through its own phones, even without evidence of a broad expansion into third-party smartphone designs.
The reported 9% Q2 figure remains a separate result
A separate account reported Exynos at 9% for the second quarter of 2026, covering April through June. That is a quarterly figure, while 8% refers to the first half of the year; the two percentages describe different reporting windows.
The quarterly graphic associated with that account labels the category “Samsung” and assigns it 5% in Q2, while the accompanying narrative describes a 9% Exynos result. Because the category definitions and values do not line up, the 8% H1 figure remains the cleanest comparable number for this analysis.
The distance with the leaders remains wide
The H1 2026 comparison places Exynos below every named vendor ahead of it:
| Smartphone SoC category | Global share in H1 2026 |
| MediaTek | 32% |
| Qualcomm | 22% |
| Apple | 19% |
| Unisoc | 13% |
| Samsung Exynos | 8% |
| Others | 5% |
MediaTek led the group by 24 percentage points over Exynos, while Qualcomm led by 14 points. Those figures describe shipment share, not speed, battery life or gaming performance. Exynos’s recovery is therefore a market-presence story, not a performance victory over Snapdragon or MediaTek.
What the recovery means for Samsung’s phone portfolio
The improvement gives Samsung more room to use its own processors across the Galaxy range. The reported Galaxy S26 mix and the Exynos associations for Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 connect the higher share primarily with Samsung’s own device shipments.
That makes the rebound meaningful inside Samsung’s portfolio, even while Exynos remains a minority player globally. The H1 figures place MediaTek, Qualcomm, Apple and Unisoc ahead of Samsung Exynos, with the latter accounting for 8% of smartphone SoC shipments during the first half of 2026.
