Samsung Galaxy S26 price may rise in 2026 as memory costs surge

Samsung’s Galaxy S26 pricing is still not finalized, with multiple reports citing rising RAM, chipset, display and camera costs. Here’s what leaks suggest about the Galaxy S26, S26+, S26 Ultra, AI upgrades, and a likely February 2026 launch.

As Samsung prepares its next flagship launch, one question is suddenly harder to answer than the usual “How many megapixels?”: How much will the Galaxy S26 cost?

On December 29, 2025, several outlets reported that Samsung is struggling to lock in final pricing for the Galaxy S26 series because key parts—especially memory (RAM/DRAM)—are getting more expensive, forcing the company to choose between higher retail prices or lower profit margins. ^[1]

That pricing uncertainty matters more than any single spec leak because the Galaxy S line is Samsung’s mainstream premium engine: it sells in far higher volumes than niche devices, meaning Samsung can’t easily “eat the cost” the way it sometimes does with experimental hardware.

Below is a detailed roundup of today’s S26 pricing reports, plus what the latest leaks suggest about the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus and S26 Ultra—including the growing emphasis on Galaxy AI, and why the S26 launch may be about more than just a phone.

What’s new today

Here are the major Galaxy S26 headlines reported on December 29, 2025:

Samsung hasn’t finalized Galaxy S26 prices yet, despite the launch window getting close, because component costs are rising and the company is trying to keep prices “reasonable.” ^[2]
Mass production is reportedly underway (or ramping up), but the price decision remains unresolved—suggesting a potential “modest” price bump is on the table. ^[3]
Samsung’s cost-control levers include pushing suppliers, balancing Qualcomm Snapdragon vs in-house Exynos, and managing feature priorities. ^[4]
On the software/AI side, one leak claims Samsung is quietly enhancing Bixby by routing some queries through Perplexity in One UI 8.5, the version expected to align with the S26 generation. ^[5]

Why Galaxy S26 pricing is “in limbo” right now

Across today’s reports, the core story is consistent: the cost to build a premium phone is climbing—and memory is a standout pain point.

Rising parts costs are squeezing flagship margins

Gadgets360 reports that Samsung’s Mobile Experience division is “struggling” with rising component prices and higher spending demands (marketing and labor included), making it harder to set a “reasonable” selling price for the Galaxy S26 lineup. ^[6]

NDTV Profit similarly lists RAM, chipsets, camera modules and display panels among the categories pushing manufacturing expenses upward, while also noting broader cost pressures like labor and marketing. ^[7]

ABP Live echoes that framing: Samsung is caught between raising prices (risking weaker demand) and holding prices (risking lower profits), with suppliers reportedly being pressed to reduce component costs. ^[8]

Memory is the problem hiding inside the AI boom

One reason this story feels particularly “2025” is that AI demand affects the entire supply chain, including memory. Multiple reports trace the pricing uncertainty to rising memory costs, widely linked in industry chatter to strong demand and constrained supply for certain memory categories used in consumer devices. ^[9]

Samsung can’t treat Galaxy S26 like an experimental device

NDTV Profit notes that Samsung has reportedly sold its Galaxy Z TriFold foldable below production cost—but stresses that strategy doesn’t scale to a mass-volume flagship line like Galaxy S. ^[10]
ABP Live makes the same point: the Galaxy S26 series is a primary profit driver, so pricing it at a loss is not a viable long-term move. ^[11]

Galaxy S26 lineup: what models are expected

Most reporting today still points to a familiar three-model structure:

Samsung Galaxy S26
Samsung Galaxy S26+ (Plus)
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

NDTV Profit explicitly describes this expected lineup and links it to a February 2026 timing. ^[12]
Gadgets360 also describes the S26/S26+/Ultra trio as the expected lineup. ^[13]

That said, it’s worth noting that earlier rumor cycles included ideas like an “Edge” replacement or renaming the base model—but today’s pricing-focused reporting largely assumes Samsung sticks to the recognizable structure.

Launch timing: February 2026 is the headline, but watch the “on-sale” window

Today’s India-facing reports repeatedly land on February 2026 as the likely launch month. ^[14]

However, some wider rumor coverage in recent days has suggested that even if Samsung unveils the phones in February, the retail availability could drift into March in some regions, based on how preorders and shipping windows line up. ^[15]

For buyers, that distinction matters:

Unpacked launch event date = when Samsung announces devices and opens preorders
In-store/on-sale date = when most people can actually buy one without preordering

Exynos vs Snapdragon: Samsung’s biggest cost-control lever

One theme in today’s reporting is that Samsung’s chipset mix—Exynos vs Qualcomm—isn’t just about performance. It’s also about pricing power.

NDTV Profit explains that using Samsung’s in-house Exynos chips can reduce costs, but also notes that Qualcomm chips are still expected to power many variants, limiting how much Samsung can save. ^[16]
ABP Live similarly highlights Samsung’s desire to revive Exynos, including using Exynos 2600 in some regions, while still relying on Qualcomm in others. ^[17]
Gadgets360 also flags Exynos 2600 as part of the rumored S26 equation. ^[18]

The practical takeaway: the chip strategy could decide whether Samsung holds pricing—or bumps it.

Galaxy S26 Plus and Ultra rumors: what leaks suggest (and what’s still a guess)

Because Samsung hasn’t officially confirmed anything about the S26 series, leaks should be treated as provisional. Still, a few themes show up repeatedly across recent reporting:

Qi2 and magnets: the “MagSafe-like” moment for Galaxy?

Several leaks point toward Qi2 magnetic charging support expanding across the S26 family—moving beyond “magnetic cases” toward a more integrated experience. ^[19]

If that holds, it could reshape Samsung’s accessory ecosystem in 2026 by making mounts, wallets, battery packs and stands easier to align—one of the reasons iPhone MagSafe accessories became so popular.

Bigger Galaxy S26 Plus?

One leak summarized by Android Central suggests the S26 Plus could grow to a larger display size, potentially closing the visual gap with the Ultra. ^[20]
Whether this happens is unclear, but it would fit Samsung’s recurring strategy: make the “middle model” feel more premium to justify its position.

Charging speeds: Ultra could finally jump

Charging is one of the most common frustrations Samsung power users bring up—especially compared to some Chinese flagship competitors. Recent leaks have pointed to a meaningful charging bump for the S26 Ultra, while the base S26 may lag behind. ^[21]

Satellite and gaming upgrades (region-dependent)

TechRadar reports that the Galaxy S26 line is tipped to gain improvements in satellite connectivity and gaming performance, with an emphasis on Exynos-related hardware (modem and GPU improvements) in markets that get Exynos models. ^[22]

The boldest claims: AI-first Galaxy S26, “400MP cameras,” and an ecosystem push

One of the more sweeping “big picture” takes comes from WebProNews, which frames Samsung’s 2026 strategy as an AI-driven pivot: deeper Galaxy AI integration, tighter ecosystem lock-in across phones, foldables, wearables and audio, and even ambitious camera speculation (including chatter around a 400MP main camera claim for an Ultra-tier phone). ^[23]

Important context:

Samsung has not confirmed a 400MP camera for Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Claims at that level should be treated as highly speculative until they appear in credible supply-chain reporting, regulatory documents, or Samsung teasers.

Still, the broader idea—that Samsung will sell S26 as an AI platform, not just a handset—matches what we’ve seen across the industry: the phone becomes the hub for your assistant, your home devices, your earbuds, your watch, and your laptop.

AI news today that matters for Galaxy S26: Bixby + Perplexity in One UI 8.5

One of the most interesting S26-adjacent stories today isn’t about a camera sensor—it’s about the assistant experience.

A SammyGuru report claims Samsung is boosting Bixby in One UI 8.5 by integrating Perplexity to provide more detailed, web-informed answers, potentially narrowing the gap between “system control” assistants and “research” assistants. ^[24]

If accurate, it would hint at Samsung’s likely 2026 strategy:

Keep Gemini (or other partners) for cross-app intelligence and big-model capabilities
Keep Bixby as the “system-level” layer that controls One UI and device actions
Add a stronger “answer engine” so Bixby feels smarter again

For Galaxy S26 marketing, that’s significant. AI features are expensive to build—and expensive to run. If Samsung believes AI is the headline feature for 2026, it also has to decide where that cost shows up: in subscriptions, in device pricing, or absorbed into margins.

Galaxy S26 price in India: what can we responsibly say right now

Because Samsung has not announced the S26 lineup, any “exact” India price is speculation. What we can do is anchor expectations in credible context:

Gadgets360 notes the Galaxy S25 launched in India starting at Rs. 80,999 for the 12GB + 256GB variant, and Rs. 92,999 for 12GB + 512GB. ^[25]
Multiple reports today suggest the Galaxy S26 series could be priced higher than its predecessors due to component cost increases. ^[26]

So, the most defensible expectation for India on Dec. 29, 2025 is:

A February 2026 launch window is plausible, with availability potentially following weeks later. ^[27]
A price hike is possible, but the size (if any) is unknown because Samsung is reportedly still deciding. ^[28]

The bottom line: Galaxy S26 may be a pricing test as much as a tech launch

The early Galaxy S26 story, as of December 29, 2025, isn’t dominated by a single killer feature. It’s dominated by a reality check: flagship phone economics are tightening, and Samsung is trying to keep its mainstream premium lineup attractive without taking a margin hit.

If Samsung keeps prices stable, expect compromises: slower hardware upgrades in some areas, more reliance on software, and a heavier marketing push around AI and ecosystem value. If Samsung raises prices, it will need to justify that increase with upgrades buyers actually feel—camera, charging, battery, and standout on-device AI features.

Either way, the next big milestone is simple: once Samsung starts teasing Unpacked, we’ll know the company is ready to stop debating costs—and start selling a story.

Samsung Samsung S25 Ultra in-depth review Mobile phone digital Digital technology New product launch

Watch this video on YouTube.

References

Samsung Galaxy S26 price may rise in 2026 as memory costs surge — what we know on Dec. 29, 2025