Storage and DRAM memory price rises are set to continue well into 2028/9 according to some reports, hitting the consumer market hardest.
Surely there must come a point where potential buyers say "enough is enough" and simply hang on to their existing devices!
Moreover will there be any further justification to buy the latest phones just because it has the latest number in the model name. The latest gizmo is AI, but at the end of the day most users just want the essentials and not the gimmicks that also ramp up prices
Samsung has raised the US prices of its Galaxy S26 lineup by $100 for most models, while the 1TB Galaxy S26 Ultra goes up by $200. The new prices are now listed on Samsung's US online store, ahead of the holiday shopping season, as the DRAM and NAND memory shortage continues to push component costs higher.
The Android flagships launched in late February at prices that were already $100 above the previous generation.
New Galaxy S26 Prices on Samsung's US StoreThe base Galaxy S26 now costs $999, up from its $899 launch price. Because that launch price was already $100 higher than the Galaxy S25, Samsung's entry level Galaxy S flagship is now $200 more expensive than its predecessor within a single generation.
The updated US pricing by model and storage tier:
With the change, the Galaxy S26 Ultra now costs more in the US than Apple's iPhone 18 Pro Max, which starts at $1,299. Apple faces the same memory shortage but raised the price of its flagship iPhone by $100 this year.
The recently launched Galaxy S26 FE is not part of the increase. It still starts at $699.
Galaxy S26 Price Increases Outside the USThe US is not the only market affected. Samsung is also raising Galaxy S26 prices in South Korea, and it recently increased the price of the S26 family in India. Last year's Galaxy S25 has received price increases in some markets as well.
For now, only Samsung's own US online store shows the higher prices. Amazon was still selling the phones at their original MSRP when the change appeared, which gives buyers a short window to compare:
Buyers who were waiting for a holiday discount on the Galaxy S26 now start from a higher baseline at Samsung's store. The earlier $100 increase at launch was also attributed to the ongoing DRAM and NAND pricing crisis, which has worsened since February.
There are no signs of the DRAM and NAND shortage ending soon, and the price increase is currently visible only on Samsung's US store, in South Korea, and in India.
| # | Наименование новости | Тональность | Информативность | Дата публикации |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galaxy S26 looks more expensive these days: price hikes roll out online | 0 | 7.42 | 01-10-2026 |
| 2 | Samsung Raises US Galaxy S26 Prices by Up to $200 | 0 | 7.31 | 02-10-2026 |
| 3 | The ‘cheap smartphone era is over’ and price hikes are ‘permanent,’ bleak forecast reveals | 0 | 25.3 | 26-08-2026 |
| 4 | Speicherkrise: Samsung verteuert Galaxy S26, S26+ und S26 Ultra | 0 | 10.2 | 02-10-2026 |
| 5 | Speicherkrise: Samsung verteuert Galaxy S26, S26+ und S26 Ultra | 0 | 10.2 | 02-10-2026 |
| 6 | Galaxy S27 series pricing may not only increase, but cost more to upgrade storage | 0 | 15.55 | 30-09-2026 |
| 7 | Samsung’s Midrange Phones Get Costlier: Galaxy A Series Feels the Pinch of Rising Memory Prices | 0 | 10.97 | 02-10-2026 |
| 8 | По пути Apple: Samsung тоже подняла цены на линейку Galaxy ... | 0 | 12.52 | 02-10-2026 |
| 9 | По пути Apple: Samsung тоже подняла цены на линейку Galaxy ... | 0 | 12.52 | 02-10-2026 |
| 10 | Speicherkrise: Samsung-Kunden droht das nächste Ärgernis | 0 | 12.07 | 09-10-2026 |