Galaxy S27 Ultra price could skyrocket unless Samsung chooses an inferior processor

It comes down to the price

Earlier rumors about the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro suggested that its price could reach over $300 per unit, which is the most likely reason for having a non-Pro version. That would allow brands to choose a more affordable chip with slower memory or a pricier option with the latest LPDDR6 memory.

In the last few years, Samsung has used exclusively custom versions of the top-tier Snapdragon chips for its Ultra flagships. Considering the growing component prices, the Galaxy S27 Ultra is almost certainly going to come at a higher price, especially if it uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro.

As unlikely as it may sound, opting for the lower-tier chipset could help the company to avoid excessive price increases for its flagship. Of course, such a move is unlikely, as the S27 Ultra is meant to go above and beyond, even if that boosts its price.

In his in-depth review of the Galaxy S26 Ultra, my colleague Victor found that Samsung finally managed to rival Apple in single-core performance, and firmly beat the iPhone 17 Pro Max in the multi-core benchmark. The speed of the S26 Ultra also translates to a smoother and more efficient gaming performance compared to the Galaxy S25 Ultra. 

Only one thing is certain

Smartphone prices are certainly going up this year, and even the iPhone 18 won’t be spared. Tim Cook personally confirmed that Apple will raise its prices, following adjustments from almost every other company.

Even the non-Pro Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 is probably going to be more expensive than the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which will likely make all flagship Android phones more expensive.

A good tradeoff

I think modern smartphones are already fast enough, and opting for slightly slower chipsets shouldn’t be much of an issue for the vast majority of users. If I were Samsung, I’d offer both versions and let people choose whether they want a little better performance or a lower price.