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Samsung Raises Galaxy S26 Prices by $100
Confirmed
In Short: Samsung has officially raised the prices of its Galaxy S26 series, with the cheapest version now starting at $999.99 in the US, up from $899.99.
The Galaxy S26 Plus and Galaxy S26 Ultra now start at $1,199.99 and $1,399.99, respectively, marking a $100 increase across all storage variants.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra with 1TB storage now costs $1,999.99, a $200 increase from its previous price.
In South Korea, the entry-level Galaxy S26 with 256GB of storage has increased from 1,254,000 won to 1,403,600 won, approximately $919 to $1,029.
The Galaxy S26 Plus and Galaxy S26 Ultra models in South Korea also saw a similar price bump of 149,600 won, bringing their prices to 1,601,600 won and 1,947,000 won, respectively.
Samsung's price hikes reflect the rising costs of components, particularly memory chips, which have been prioritized for data centers and AI infrastructure.
Samsung's home market, South Korea, saw the 1TB Galaxy S26 Ultra increase by 270,000 won, nearly matching its US counterpart, now priced at 2,821,500 won, or approximately $2,070.
Samsung's price adjustments come as the company prepares to launch its new Galaxy Tab S12 series, including the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S12 Plus, on October 7.
The Galaxy Tab S12 Plus starts at $1,200 for the 256GB model, a $200 increase from the Tab S10 Plus's $1,000 starting price.
Sumit, a technology journalist and lifelong Samsung enthusiast, noted that the company's price hikes follow similar increases in many other regions.
Samsung's price hikes are effective as of October 1, making the latest Galaxy flagships more expensive across every storage tier.
What this adds
Samsung's price hikes reflect the ongoing trend of increasing RAM and memory prices.
The Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S12 Plus are set to launch on October 7, with the Plus model seeing a significant price increase compared to its predecessor.
Background
Samsung updates its Galaxy Tab S12 series, with the Plus model getting a significant overhaul compared to the modest refresh of the Ultra.
Samsung began rolling out the stable One UI 9 update to the Galaxy S26 series in Korea a few days ago, typically signaling an imminent global rollout.
What's confirmed
- Samsung has just increased the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+, and Galaxy S26 Ultra prices in the US.
What's still developing
- Additionally, a Yonhap News report notes that Samsung has applied a similar price increase to its flagship lineup in South Korea.
- In other words, RAM and memory prices have been running rampant, and the trend keeps on going.
- Starting with the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra, it's hard to tell it apart from last year's Tab S11 Ultra.
- The biggest difference is the chipset, with Samsung equipping it with the MediaTek Dimensity 9500, which it says delivers 61 percent faster NPU processing, 19 percent faster CPU performance, and 17 percent improved GPU power compared to the MediaTek 9400+ found in the Tab S11 Ultra.
- Then, this past summer, it held arguably its biggest foldable phone launch yet, unveiling the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Flip 8.
- Both tablets are set to launch on October 7, but compared to last year's Galaxy Tab S11 series, there are a few key differences, with the price being one of them.
- Here's everything you need to know about the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S12 Plus.
- As for the design, the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra has the same rectangular shape with rounded corners as the Tab S11 Ultra, weighs 692 grams (1.5 pounds), is 5.1mm thick, and comes in two colors: gray and silver.