The Galaxy S26 series is only a few months away, and naturally, excitement is building around the new lineup. According to recent reports, Samsung is expected to unveil the device in February at an event in San Francisco.
However, there have been rumors of a potential price hike, which could make it a difficult decision for Samsung. Higher prices often risk impacting sales negatively, but it seems the situation may not be entirely under Samsung’s control.
### Galaxy S26 Could Cost More Than Its Predecessors
A new report out of South Korea claims that due to a significant rise in component prices across the board, a price increase for the Galaxy S26 series is inevitable. While Samsung kept the base model prices steady for all three Galaxy S25 phones in most markets, that trend might not continue next year.
Samsung Electronics recently revealed that chipset prices have increased by 12% compared to last year’s average. Camera module prices have also risen by 8%, and mobile DRAM prices have jumped 16% since the first quarter of this year. The cost pressure is expected to intensify in the coming months due to a memory shortage. This shortage stems from decreased production of standard memory in favor of the more lucrative high-bandwidth memory used in AI chips.
### Industry-Wide Price Increases
Samsung won’t be alone in facing these challenges. Apple has already implemented price hikes with the latest iPhone 17 series and is expected to increase prices further next year. Many Chinese smartphone manufacturers have taken similar steps in response to rising component costs.
One possible reason Samsung expedited the development of the Exynos 2600 chipset for the Galaxy S26 series could be to manage costs, as this in-house chipset would likely be cheaper than Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon offerings.
### How Much More Will the Galaxy S26 Cost?
As for the potential price increase, it’s likely to fall within the $50 to $100 range. This aligns with the typical amount Samsung has adjusted prices by when launching new flagship lineups in the past.
With component costs rising and industry-wide inflation in smartphone pricing, consumers may need to prepare for a slightly higher price tag on the upcoming Galaxy S26 series. Stay tuned for further updates as Samsung’s February launch event approaches.
https://www.sammobile.com/news/samsungs-difficult-galaxy-s26-decision-probably-wont-please-you/
