What you need to know
- The Samsung Galaxy S26 series could be more expensive, according to a new report.
- Samsung is reportedly planning to increase the price by $50 for each model in Korea, but those price hikes may not extend to the U.S.
- In the U.S., Samsung needs to remain competitive with Apple's iPhone 17, which standardized 256GB of base storage without raising prices.
Rising component costs, in part due to memory and storage shortages, are threatening to impact the retail prices of consumer electronics in 2026. Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy S26 series in late February, and it may be the first smartphone brand to raise prices to account for these supply chain concerns. The Korean outlet FNNews reports that Samsung will raise the price of the entire Galaxy S26 series, citing an internal policy (via Jukan on X).
The report says Samsung is planning a price hike of between 44,000 won to 88,000 won ($30 to $50) for each Galaxy S26 model. This price increase is reportedly for the 256GB variant of every device, which is set to become the base configuration across the lineup for the first time. So, while the base Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 could receive a price hike, buyers would also get double the storage.
Apple started this trend with the iPhone 17, making 256GB of storage available on the base model without raising prices. As such, Samsung may be feeling pressure to match Apple's precedent on the upcoming Galaxy S26 series. While Samsung didn't raise prices on the Galaxy S24 or Galaxy S25 in the U.S., the company could be adverse to doing so in order to remain competitive.
"However, in order to promote global sales, Samsung Electronics is considering setting the same price in major countries such as the United States as the previous one," the report acknowledges (translated).
In addition to potentially raising prices, Samsung's Galaxy S26 lineup could play it safe as a cost-cutting measures. While early leaks suggested Samsung might ambitiously replace the standard Galaxy S26 with an upgraded Galaxy S26 Pro model and the Galaxy S26 Plus with a Galaxy S26 Edge, those plans have seemingly been scrapped. Outside of minor spec bumps, the Galaxy S26 could end up feeling similar to the Galaxy S25.
While Samsung has typically revealed new devices in January with February launches, expect the release schedule to be later this year. The above report reveals that Samsung could unveil the new smartphones on Feb. 25, 2026, with availability coming the following month.
