Biggest strike in Samsung's history means the Galaxy S27 might cost you even more

Paying less, paying more or… paying the same for your Galaxy S27 and Galaxy S27 Ultra? Of the three options, the first is right out absurd, the way things are going. As for paying the same – yes, there could be a way for Samsung to stagnate price tags.

But I wouldn't count on it; the reasons for this are the same that make the "paying less" scenario virtually impossible – prices of components are going up and it doesn't seem they'll be going down anytime soon.

Add to this the possibility of the biggest effective strike in Samsung's history… and we quickly get to the "paying more" option, which seems like the only viable one right now.

The Galaxy S26 family started as a hit – in its first month, the current flagship phone family sold about 13% more units than the Galaxy S25 series. That could be attributed to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which appears to be the fan-favorite model of users across the world. Especially in the US and South Korea.

But the sales momentum started slowing in week six, raising concerns that the Galaxy S26 family may struggle to maintain its early success in the long term.

This leads us to the Galaxy S27 and the strike that could affect chip making in a big way.

Getting the big picture… in detail

As we've told you several times before, tens of thousands of Samsung workers demand a radical change in the way bonus payments and other compensations are distributed.

Driven by the AI boom, they are demanding a fairer pay system to match competitor SK Hynix, which already removed its bonus cap.

The union wants to eliminate Samsung's 50% base salary bonus cap, while demanding a 7% base wage increase and 15% of operating profits as bonuses. Management has rejected removing the cap, countering instead with a 10% profit-based bonus plan and extra funding for the memory division.

Samsung workers are determined to go on an 18-day strike starting May 21.

Right now, May 19, Samsung Electronics and the union have extended talks and some even claim that "some differences" have been narrowed down.

$667 million of losses… PER DAY

Things are gravely serious overseas. For example, Korea's industry minister has said that the strike "must not happen".

South Korea's prime minister, Kim Min-seok, warned that even a single day of downtime at a Samsung Electronics chip plant could trigger direct financial losses reaching up to 1 trillion won, or roughly $667.68 million.

You see, this could affect South Korea's economy in a huge way.

Some readers might be affected by this, but in reality, what the majority of people across the world will be asking is:



It's not out of the question… at all. The Galaxy S26 already arrived with a $100 price hike and the strike wasn't even a thing back then.

A list of demands

Popular and well-informed tipster Ice Universe shares "a deep reading" with us regarding the strike and Samsung's problems.

There are nine points in their argument, which I'm not going to copy/paste here.

Per Ice Universe, Samsung Electronics and its union are heading toward a possible full-scale clash. While the conflict appears to focus on higher payouts, the deeper issue might be the union's demand for a permanent, transparent profit-sharing formula tied to semiconductor profits… rather than a bonus system controlled entirely by management.

The dispute intensified because employees compare Samsung with rival SK Hynix, which already uses a more structured bonus system.

The AI semiconductor boom has increased the value of chip talent, with workers arguing they deserve a direct share of the industry's profits instead of relying on management discretion.

Again, this isn't only about South Korea's economy or Samsung's internal disputes – this could affect hundreds of millions of people across the world. And it's not just about phones.

Industry analysts warn that a prolonged strike could disrupt DRAM and NAND production, damage customer confidence and push companies like Nvidia and AMD to consider supply diversification.

When supply chains get disrupted, bad things happen (to our wallets). You remember that from six years ago, don't you?

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