As with most years, there’s a fair bit of anticipation for the Samsung Galaxy S26. Based on recent reporting, a launch is expected on the 25th of February, with general availability expected to follow in early March.
In the meantime, we’ve come across reports of a potential price increase for the flagship smartphone series. However, a follow-up report suggested the company may have found a way to keep the price tag unchanged. Now, a new report offers additional details on Samsung’s pricing strategy for the Galaxy S26.
According to South Korean daily The Financial News, Samsung may take the bold step of raising the prices of the Galaxy S26 series in its home market, while keeping them unchanged in the US. It’s unclear whether other markets will also witness a price bump for the upcoming flagship in addition to South Korea (via Jukan on X).
As the report notes, resisting a price increase would significantly eat into the company’s profits. With this in mind, keeping the prices stable in markets like the US could help the company better compete with the Apple iPhone 17.
The sky-high component costs, including for High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and the conventional DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), have reportedly led Samsung to this path. This report also points to the high exchange rate as another factor contributing to the manufacturer’s decision.
Component costs are expected to surge further
In total, a hike of between 44,000 Won ($30) to 88,000 Won ($60) is expected for the Galaxy S26 lineup in the company’s home market. While not mentioned in the report, we won’t be surprised if other markets also see an increase in the flagship’s prices.
With data research firms anticipating a 40% rise in the cost of some essential components by Q2 of this year, price increases are almost unavoidable. To make matters worse for Samsung, its semiconductor group (Device Solutions) is reportedly struggling to supply enough of these high-demand components to the mobile division, MX (Mobile eXperience).
The silver lining
Assuming this report is accurate, the Galaxy S26 should start at $799 in the US, while the Galaxy S26 Plus and the Galaxy S26 Ultra will start from $999 and $1299, respectively. Samsung has understandably not confirmed any of these reports so far, with a company representative reiterating to The Financial News that the price tag “has not been finalized.”
With the tech industry bracing for a big surge in component prices, it shouldn’t take long for other manufacturers to announce price increases for their devices.
