Samsung has reportedly been going through internal turmoil, as it does not want to increase the starting price of its upcoming Galaxy S26 lineup, especially since Apple kept the iPhone 17’s price unchanged. The ongoing DRM shortage, rising component costs, and tariffs made that goal difficult. Now, it seems the company has finally made a call, and for now, it plans to avoid a price hike.
A Korean report claims that Samsung will keep the Galaxy S26’s starting price the same as its predecessor, the Galaxy S25 (via @jukan05). That means the entry-level S26 will start from $799, while the S26+ and S26 Ultra will retail for $999 and $1,299, respectively.
Apparently, the company will take a 10-15% hit to its profit margins with this move, but the high margins in DRAM and NAND would help offset the impact.
The price freeze will likely only apply to the US market. In South Korea, Samsung’s home turf, the company will mostly increase prices due to the declining value of the Korean won. A similar increase is also possible across European and other Asian markets.
If Samsung manages to keep pricing unchanged, it would mark the fourth consecutive year the company has avoided raising prices on its flagship phones.
The report claims that the price freeze will also apply to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Flip 8, due to launch later in 2026.
While not mentioned, Apple’s move to keep the iPhone 17 pricing intact likely influenced Samsung’s decision to hold the line on prices of its flagship phones and foldables for 2026.
With Apple widely expected to launch its first foldable iPhone this year, the Korean company can’t afford to risk pushing customers away due to a price hike.
Mid-range Galaxy A phones to get expensive
Unfortunately, Samsung will seemingly increase the prices of its mid-range Galaxy A phones. The slimmer profit margins on these models leave the company with little to no room to absorb the steep rise in component costs.
Unfortunately, the price increase will mostly come with no meaningful hardware upgrades. So, most users will end up paying more for no noticeable improvement. And sadly, this might just be a trend with most phones that launch in 2026.
