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American Galaxy S26 buyers might be spared a difficult choice

A Galaxy S26 price hike is seeming more likely.

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By Anam Hamid

Updated: Jan 05, 2026, 3:58 AM

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Leaked Galaxy S26 Ultra render. | Image Credit - Ice Universe

The Galaxy S26 series will cost more than the Galaxy S25, at least in South Korea, various reports suggest. Prices will likely remain stable in the US.

Maintaining the same prices as last year is proving to be difficult

South Korea's The Financial News claims that Samsung will raise the price of the Galaxy S26 series in its home country. The price of the base model is projected to rise by up to 88,000 won (~$61).

Prices will remain the same in major markets such as the US.

The move aims to offset declining profitability caused by the increasing prices of core smartphone components and a weakening won.

Samsung says the price of the Galaxy S26 lineup has not been finalized. Korea Times reports that the company is leaning toward a price hike. DRAM and NAND prices have nearly doubled from the same time last year, making a hike inevitable.

Samsung's co-CEO TM Roh is expected to meet with Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra during the ongoing CES trade show to discuss LPDDR5X supply for the Galaxy S26. Since the talks will be held so close to the launch of the Galaxy S26, Micron is likely to have the upper hand in the negotiations.

Separately, Reuters reports that TM Roh has not ruled out raising prices for Samsung products, noting that some impact from a surge in memory chip prices was unavoidable.

As this situation is unprecedented, no company is immune to its impact.

TM Roh, Samsung's Co-CEO, January 2026

Uncertainty abounds

There have been many conflicting reports about the Galaxy S26's pricing, but the subtext is that Samsung fears that raising prices will make its phones less competitive, while absorbing costs will affect its profitability. It's a catch-22 situation, and Samsung might delay a final pricing decision until the official announcement in late February.

Samsung will reveal pricing for its new laptops later this month, and some industry watchers believe those might be a proxy for its smartphone pricing strategy.

Would you be fine with Galaxy S26 costing more if every other phone got more expensive too?

Broader industry trend

Smartphone manufacturing costs are projected to rise by up to 15 percent this year, potentially pushing retail prices up by 6.9 percent. While Samsung and other manufacturers may absorb the costs for now, an industry-wide price hike sounds inescapable this year.

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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.

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