Samsung now appears poised to raise the prices of its upcoming flagship Galaxy S26 series, bowing to the inevitable cost pressures that are now permeating almost every facet of the smartphone industry.
Samsung to increase the prices of the Galaxy S26 series by between $30 and $60
Do note that the base Galaxy S25 launched at 1.155 million won, the S25 Plus launched at 1.353 million won, and the S25 Ultra commanded a launch price of 1.6984 million won ($1,175) in South Korea. As such, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is now expected to retail for 1.8 million won ($1,245).
In doing so, Samsung is apparently negating its long-standing policy of eschewing price hikes, one that saw no price increases for the flagship S-series over the past three years, barring the Galaxy S24 Ultra. This strategy had allowed the Galaxy S25 series to hit a cumulative sales volume of 3 million units around 2 months faster than its predecessor.
Interestingly, Samsung has decided to implement no price hikes within strategically important markets such as the US, setting itself up for a scenario where the Galaxy S26 series might be cheaper in the US than in South Korea. Such a scenario also aligns with the contours of a previous report that we covered recently.
Accordingly, the base Galaxy S26 is expected to go on sale in the US for $799.99, the S26 Plus for $999.99, and the S26 Ultra for $1,299.99.
Of course, smartphone OEMs, including Samsung, are facing several areas of cost pressures:
- The price of 12GB LPDDR5X modules has more than doubled compared to the beginning of last year.
- Counterpoint Research expects smartphone memory prices to rise an additional 40 percent by Q2 2026.
- The South Korean won has been quite volatile lately, which directly affects Samsung's cost burden related to the APs it secures from Qualcomm - the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
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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