The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has been the subject of a lot of rumors over the past few months, but one question stood out above all others: will it be powered solely by the most recent Snapdragon flagship, or will it return to a split Snapdragon–Exynos strategy? We finally have a clear answer, thanks to a new FCC listing.
Two models—SM-S948B and SM-S948U—have just appeared in the FCC database, and both are tied to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The documents go a step further and outright name the chipset: SM8850, which is Qualcomm’s internal codename for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
To put it another way, Samsung is letting anyone who is interested in the S26 Ultra know that they can anticipate a distinct increase in both efficiency and performance in comparison to the S25 Ultra.
Samsung’s usual pattern is reflected in the model numbers themselves. The “B” model is the global, unlocked version, while the “U” model is the US-specific, carrier-specific model. Seeing the same Snapdragon chip listed for both finally confirms the rumors: Samsung is going all-in on Qualcomm for its 2026 Ultra model—no Exynos alternative for any region.
It continues a pattern we’ve seen with Samsung’s most expensive phones. The Ultra has leaned Snapdragon-only for the past couple of generations, while the standard and Plus models have swapped between Exynos and Snapdragon whenever possible.
That split isn’t disappearing entirely, though. Samsung is expected to ship the Galaxy S26 and S26+ with its in-house Exynos 2600 instead of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in South Korea, according to several leaks and benchmark listings.
But for the Ultra, the FCC filing removes any remaining doubt. In every market, the most expensive flagship of the 2026 lineup will use the most recent chip from Qualcomm.
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