Despite being a veritable memory chip behemoth, Samsung's Galaxy S26 series won't come equipped with a Samsung-manufactured DRAM, at least for the 50 percent or so units that are now all set to employ an LPDDR5X memory from Micron.
Samsung DS wants to maximize the LPDDR5X memory it sells to Apple, and so the South Korean behemoth's MX division has chosen Micron to fill the supply gap for its Galaxy S26 series
According to DealSite, Samsung's mobile-focused MX division has equipped around 50 percent of the initial batches of the Galaxy S26 series with an LPDDR5X memory from Micron instead of the one from Samsung's DS unit.
According to the publication, Samsung's DS division is now selling its mobile-focused DRAM to Apple after hiking prices by around 100 percent. What's more, the division appears to be in no mood to offer any meaningful discounts to Samsung's mobile-focused arm.
Consequently, while the MX division has implemented a 50/50 DRAM split - divided between Samsung's own LPDDR5X and the one sourced from Micron - for the initial batches of the Galaxy S26 series, "production volumes beyond the initial batch have not yet been determined, so there is effectively no concept of a 'first vendor' at this point."
Interestingly, the initial batches of the Galaxy S25 series units featured DRAM that was exclusively sourced from Micron, as the US company's offerings were perceived to be superior to Samsung's own memory products at the time. However, the DS division was then able to rapidly improve its quality and yield, allowing the MX division to eventually settle on a 60/40 sourcing mix in favor of DS-manufactured DRAM.
Of course, the current situation is dramatically different from the one that prevailed last year, with memory manufacturers enjoying an unprecedented level of pricing power. In fact, as per a recent projection by TrendForce, while memory costs historically accounted for only 10 percent to 15 percent of a given smartphone's BOM, they now make up between 30 percent and 40 percent, and are rapidly closing in on the 50 percent mark.
About the author: Writing is my one incontrovertible passion. Over the past six years, he has authored over 2,200 distinct articles on financial and tech-related topics, spanning nearly 1 million words. And he has been a member of Wcctech mobile team since 2025. As an alumnus of the University of Toronto, Rotman Commerce Program, I bring nuance, in-depth knowledge, and a unique perspective to every topic that I cover. When I'm not writing, I'm traveling the world, exploring hidden confectionaries and restaurants as an aspiring food connoisseur.
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