Samsung hikes Galaxy S26 series prices by up to $200
What's the story
Samsung has raised the prices across most of its Galaxy S26 smartphone lineup by up to $200. The new pricing structure sees the base model, Galaxy S26, starting at $1,000 while the mid-range variant, Galaxy S26+, is now priced at $1,200. Like the S26 and S26+, the top-tier Galaxy S26 Ultra has received a $100 price hike, bumping its starting price to $1,400.
Storage increase
Galaxy S26 Ultra with 1TB storage now costs $2,000
The price hike is even steeper for the highest storage tier of the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which comes with 1TB of storage.
This model has seen a price increase of $200, taking its total cost to $2,000.
The new prices are already reflected on Samsung's official website, but third-party retailers like Amazon and Best Buy have yet to update their listings.
Unchanged models
Galaxy S26 FE remains unchanged at $700
Despite the price hike, Samsung's most affordable model in the Galaxy S26 series, the Galaxy S26 FE, remains unchanged at $700.
The phone was launched in August at a price $50 higher than its predecessor.
Similarly, Samsung's latest foldable devices, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Z Flip 8, have also not been affected by this latest round of price hikes.
Market trend
Price hikes due to global memory chip shortage
The price hike from Samsung comes as tech companies around the world are raising prices due to a shortage of memory chips.
The shortage has been fueled by the growing demand for these components in artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers.
Notably, Apple has also raised prices for its iPhone 18 Pro and some older models amid this global trend.