The continued shortage of memory chips has led to a price increase of up to $200 for the Samsung Galaxy S26 series.

The continued shortage of memory chips has led to a price increase of up to $200 for the Samsung Galaxy S26 series.

Samsung Electronics is following in the footsteps of Apple and Google by raising the price of its flagship phones by $100 to $200, further passing on the memory cost burden to consumers.

Samsung Electronics has raised the US prices of most models in its Galaxy S26 series by $100 to $200. This price adjustment comes shortly after Apple and Google raised prices on their flagship phones, and is the latest example of consumer technology brands collectively shifting cost pressures downstream amid a continued shortage of memory chips.

This price increase covers the three main Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra models, with each configuration increasing by $100. The top-of-the-line S26 Ultra 1TB version sees a $200 increase, rising to $1,999. Since the S26 and S26+ were already $100 more expensive than their predecessor, the S25 series, when they launched in March, the base S26 is now cumulatively $200 more expensive than the S25 was at launch.

The Galaxy S26 FE and the latest foldable series (including Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Flip 8) have not yet been affected by this price increase.

Price Increase Details: Overview of Adjustments for Each Configuration

According to the latest prices on Samsung's official website, the prices of the main models in the Galaxy S26 series are as follows after this adjustment:

  • The Galaxy S26 (256GB) has increased in price from $899 to $999;
  • The S26+ (256GB) has increased in price from $1099 to $1199;
  • The S26 Ultra (256GB) has increased in price from $1299 to $1399;
  • The S26 Ultra (1TB) saw the largest increase, rising from $1,799 to $1,999.

The Galaxy S26 FE is the only model in the series to maintain its original price, still selling for $699. It's worth noting that when this model was released in August of this year, it was already priced $50 higher than its predecessor, the S25 FE.

The S26 Ultra was previously a relatively special model in the series – Samsung maintained a starting price of $1,300 when it was released in March of this year, without raising prices in tandem with the S26 and S26+. This makes this the first price increase for the product line since the beginning of 2024.

Industry Background: Chip Shortages Drive Price Hikes

This round of mobile phone price increases is not unique to Samsung. According to Bloomberg, the prices of consumer electronics products such as laptops, game consoles, and smartphones have generally increased over the past year, stemming from the artificial intelligence boom and the large-scale construction of data centers, which have driven up demand for memory chips, leading to a continued supply shortage.

Samsung's price adjustment comes weeks after Apple launched the more expensive iPhone 18 Pro series and raised prices on older models like the iPhone 17. Alphabet's Google also saw price increases for its Pixel 11 series compared to its predecessor. Apple previously raised prices on almost all of its laptops and desktops in June, with some products seeing increases of up to $500.

When Samsung launched the S26 series in March of this year, it explicitly stated that rising memory prices were one of the reasons for the $100 price increase compared to the S25. This latest price adjustment, several months after its release, indicates that the pressure from memory costs has not yet eased.

Competitive Landscape: Foldable Screens Maintain Price Advantage for Now

In the foldable screen market, Samsung still maintains a certain price advantage. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is priced at $1,900, lower than the starting price of $1,999 for Apple's upcoming iPhone Duo, which will be released on October 23.

Since foldable screen models were not included in this price increase, this gap will likely remain in the short term.

However, for consumers who intend to buy Samsung's flagship candybar phone, the options have been significantly narrowed.

If you want to buy a new S26 series phone at a price close to the launch price, the Galaxy S26 FE is currently the only option, while the minimum starting price for other models is $999.

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