The Galaxy S26 might be more expensive for some, but what about US buyers?

The Galaxy S26 has been Samsung’s most confusing flagship lineup in recent years. Samsung was initially expected to overhaul the offerings, limiting them to just three models rather than four. The expectations fell flat when Samsung reportedly returned to its typical lineup, which is now expected to prevail, with the Galaxy S26 offering carrying over much of what the S25 offered.

Now, we’re fast approaching the launch of the Galaxy S26 series, which means Samsung is in the final stages of readying the phones. Leaks in the recent past have already lent to credible information about the specifications of the three phones (alongside a fourth one later) launching in the Galaxy S26 series. So the next obvious step is to speculate on prices, but confusion prevails on that front as well.

Last week, South Korea’s Maeil Business Newspaper reported that Samsung would offer the new Galaxy S26 series models at the same price as the Galaxy S25. That would make sense given the phones, for yet another generation, only offer minimal upgrades over the previous generations. However, the excitement was only short-lived, with newer reports now hinting at the strong possibility of a price increase.

According to another Korean news outlet FN News (via analyst Jukan on X), Samsung has been forced to raise the price of the Galaxy S26 due to soaring component prices, particularly DRAM and NAND modules, and the volatility of the Korean won. The report says Samsung’s MX (Mobile eXperience) division can no longer sustain with declining profits and must therefore raise prices.

While the price increase may not be limited to smartphones and may extend to other IT hardware components made by Samsung Electronics, the outlet has roughly estimated the price increase for the Galaxy S26 series. As per its estimates, the prices of the various Galaxy S26 models may increase by up to 88,000 won (~$60) for the 256GB variant compared to the Galaxy S25 series. If true, this would mark the first time in the last four generations when Samsung will increase the base prices of its phones.

With this increase, the starting price of the Galaxy S26 Ultra‘s 256GB model is now expected to be 1.8 million won (~$1,245). These expectations specifically apply to the launch in Korea. Notably, this price is already lower than Galaxy S25 Ultra’s pricing for the US.

Interestingly, while Korean consumers are expected to bear the burden of a weakening currency and rising component costs, Samsung may continue to sell the phones at the same prices in other regions, particularly the US. FN News states that Samsung, despite increasing prices in its home turf, may continue to sell the Galaxy S26 series at the same prices. With this, the base Galaxy S26 should start at $799.99, while the Plus and Ultra models could be priced at $999.99 and $1,299.99, respectively. In a nutshell, we could say that buyers in Korea might pay for the buyers in the US.

We expect to learn more on this front on February 25, when the Galaxy S26 is expected to launch at an event in San Jose, California. The rumor around the launch date also aligns with leaker Ice Universe’s claim, indicating it might be true. We’ll update you once we have more reliable information on that front as well.