Make sure you've got some extra cash saved up if you're looking at buying a Galaxy S26, as new reporting suggests Samsung may be forced to up the price of its next-gen flagship phones.
Korean outlet ETNews, citing industry sources, claims that due to increased smartphone part costs, a price hike for the Galaxy S26 series is inevitable. And the numbers the report cites don't make for pleasant reading.
ETNews notes that there has been a 12% price increase for smartphone chips and an 8% one for camera modules over the past year. And even worse than that, there's apparently been a 16% increase in RAM prices just since the start of 2025.
The report also claims it's likely that the RAM pricing situation in particular could get still worse, as memory production becomes further skewed toward high-bandwidth memory designed for AI servers rather than consumer products. And that's not even considering whatever US tariff situation the world will be facing in 2026, adding further uncertainty.
Will this cause a price increase?
But I don't think all hope is lost when it comes to the Galaxy S26 series' pricing. First off, I would not expect Samsung to pass the full cost increase to customers, if it decides to do so at all. The increase will likely be a maximum of $100 or your local equivalent, so that Samsung remains within the same rough price bracket as its competitors.
Also, ETNews' estimates do not mention specific components, only categories. And with Samsung tipped to prioritize the use of its own Exynos 2600 chipset, and also claimed to be passing up the chance to upgrade elements such as the Galaxy S25 Ultra's design or the selfie camera found on all Galaxy S25 models, perhaps it'll be able to offset the price increases by using in-house or existing tech.
One last point to consider is that these price increases won't just have Samsung feeling the pinch. As ETNews points out, other phone makers are already increasing their prices in certain markets to account for their higher costs. So even if Samsung does decide to raise prices, chances are we'll see Apple, Google and all the others do the same in due course.
We'll only learn for certain what Samsung has planned for the Galaxy S26, pricing and all, when it launches. That's tipped to be happening in late February next year, so we've got a bit more of a wait than usual for answers.
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