Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy S26 series late next month. While significant pressure on pricing is still facing the company, the lineup is not rumored to bring major hardware upgrades. Samsung is reportedly trying hard to avoid raising prices for its upcoming high-end phones, including the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Galaxy S26 Ultra Pricing Could Stay Flat, But Your Pre-order Gifts Will Pay the Price
Samsung is working hard to launch the Galaxy S26 Ultra at a price similar to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which debuted at around $1,300, a report from iNews24 claims. Over the past year, a severe shortage of memory chips has forced Samsung and other smartphone brands to pay up to three times more for the same amount of RAM. Naturally, this is putting a considerable dent in their profit margins.
Some industry insiders suggest that the Galaxy S26 Ultra could cost $1,399 in the US, matching the launch price of the Galaxy S20 Ultra. However, Samsung reportedly wants to keep the phone priced below the KRW 2 million mark (~$1,352) in South Korea. If that target holds, the Galaxy S26 Ultra could retain its $1,299 price tag in the US.
Samsung may have to scale back its usual pre-order incentives to make that possible for the Galaxy S26. The popular double storage offer for early buyers could be dropped, while other pre-order benefits may also be reduced or removed entirely
Over the past year, demand for semiconductor memory chips has risen significantly, driven by the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. This market shift affects the Galaxy S26, as high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and server-grade DDR5 chips are being snapped up by major technology companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and OpenAI
Manufacturers like Samsung Device Solutions, Micron, and SK Hynix have shifted production away from general-purpose memory—the kind used in laptops and phones like the Galaxy S26. Instead, they are prioritizing HBM and enterprise-grade memory for AI servers and hyperscale data centers, simply because these chips fetch higher profits.
With fewer chips being manufactured, the production of general-purpose and low-power memory has declined. As a result, prices have climbed sharply, directly impacting smartphone makers. This means for your next gadget purchase, such as the Galaxy S26, that could force you to pay more.
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