This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
Looking at the recently tipped pricing of the Samsung Galaxy S26 series phones, I believe the Ultra model could perform really well in the market this year.
The S26 could have new base storage, and it could be costlier
For some time now, Samsung has offered 128 GB as the base storage in the vanilla variant of its S-series phones. However, an online retailer in Finland recently revealed that there won't be a 128 GB model this year, and 256 GB will be the starting storage option for the Galaxy S26.
Doesn't bumping up the base storage to 256 GB in the vanilla variant sound like a move we saw not very long ago? That's because Apple followed a similar approach last year when it ditched the 128 GB option in the vanilla iPhone 17 and made 256 GB the new base, alongside higher storage options.
I'm definitely liking the increase in base storage, but not the price change it's bringing. According to reliable tipster Roland Quandt, the 256 GB Galaxy S26 is going to cost SEK 11,990 in Sweden, which is approximately $1,358 if we do the direct conversion at the current rate. The S25 256 GB option was launched in the country at 10,990 SEK, which is approximately $1,245.
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If you do the basic math, the difference between both phones is roughly $113. That means the entry-level S26 could cost around $100 more. That would be something around $960, considering the same storage variant of the Galaxy S25 costs $860.
However, it's worth noting that smartphone prices are higher in Sweden compared to other countries due to various economic factors like VAT. Even if you take this into consideration, I'm afraid the price of the Galaxy S26 won't be cheaper than $900. In essence, you can expect the entry-level standard S26 to cost somewhere between $900 and $960.
The S26 Ultra could be cheaper, while one Plus model could be priced the same as before
A man holding the S25 Ultra in this hand. | Image by PhoneArena
I believe the Ultra model of the upcoming Galaxy S lineup could perform really well in the global smartphone market. The upgrades coming to it, such as the privacy display, could definitely be one of the reasons, but its reported pricing is what makes me believe it will see bright sales numbers. Roland Quandt shares in his report that the 256 GB and 512 GB variants of the S26 Ultra would cost 16,990 SEK and 18,990 SEK, respectively. Here’s what the same storage options in the S25 Ultra cost:
256 GB - 17,990 SEK
515 GB - 19,490 SEK
That means the upcoming Ultra phones would cost around 1,000 SEK and 500 SEK less than their respective predecessors. The direct conversion indicates that the entry-level S26 Ultra would cost approximately $113 less than its predecessor, which would be something around $1,200.
The 512 GB storage variant would cost roughly $56.50 less. That means you can expect it to be available at around $1,400, considering its predecessor cost $1,420 in the US.
These are definitely not big price drops, but I believe they could attract a few more customers, which would help boost sales of this smartphone. That said, the 1TB model of the S26 Ultra is believed to sell at the same price as the 25 Ultra's 1TB storage option.
If you're thinking of getting the Plus model, you'll be pleased to know that the tech giant is reportedly selling the 256 GB variant of the S26 Plus at the same price as the 256 gig S25 Plus. However, the 512 GB model is reportedly getting 1000 SEK more expensive (~$113).
Numbers suggest that the Plus models have been the worst performing models in some of the recent Galaxy S series. That's why I was hoping that the Korean giant would actually reduce the pricing of the S26 Plus variants to attract more customers to it. Keeping the price the same as the previous year is a reasonable move, but reducing it would have been definitely better for its sales.
Here's the comparison table for Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S24 series sales (as of the end of June): Key Insights: Galaxy S25 series total sales reached 20.22 million units, a 12.2% increase (+2.20 million units) compared to the Galaxy S24 series in the same period.
However, it's worth noting that these are simply leaked prices, and there's no certainty on whether they would actually be true. So, I would highly recommend taking all this shared information with a grain of salt.
Will the rumored price increase for the standard Galaxy S26 affect your decision to buy it?
The rising RAM prices are to blame for the price increase
AI features have become one of the main selling points among smartphones these days, but they consume a big chunk of memory. Unfortunately, the production capacity of memories has not scaled at the same pace as demand has increased in recent times. As a result, there's a global memory shortage, resulting in higher RAM prices, which is further affecting smartphone prices.
I believe manufacturers are doing their best to make sure this change doesn't drastically affect their phone prices, but we also need to understand it would be really hard for them to absorb all the damage themselves. As a result, we could see products launching at higher prices than expected, and the base Galaxy S26 could be a prime example.
If the price increase tip is really true, Samsung would be hoping that the vanilla S26 sales perform well so it could compensate for the cheaper Galaxy S26 Ultra. Additionally, the company is also believed to not offer free storage upgrades for pre-order customers this year in order to deal with the increasing production costs. However, this may be limited only to the Ultra model.
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Aman Kumar is a tech news writer with a long-standing passion for smartphones. Aman specializes in everything smartphones, from AI features like Pixel’s Camera Coach to understanding ideal hardware combinations. He loves breaking down complex features in a simple, clear way and hopes manufacturers bring back bold designs like the Nokia N-Gage. When he’s not writing, he’s either gaming on PUBG or talking fitness as a dedicated gym enthusiast.
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