Samsung hikes price of Galaxy S26 lineup over S25, but it won’t say the RAM crisis is to blame — even though it almost certainly is
Samsung has announced that its latest flagship phones, the Galaxy S26 series, will get a price increase over their S25 predecessors – and while Samsung won’t directly blame the RAM crisis, I don’t feel like I’m taking any chances by speculating that it’s at least partly to blame.
The phones were announced at Samsung’s Galaxy S26 launch event, and you want the new Galaxy S26 you’ll have to pay from $899.99 / £879, while an S26 Plus costs from $1,099.99 / £1,099, and an S26 Ultra will set you back from $1,299.99 / £1,279 (the Australian price is to be confirmed).
For comparison, last year’s S25 cost $859.99 / £859 / AU$1,399, the S25 Plus cost $999.99 / £999 / AU$1,699 and the S25 Ultra cost $1,299.99 / £1,249 / AU$2,149.
This year’s models are between $40/£20 and $100/£100 more expensive than last year’s equivalents (although the Ultra remained the same price in the US), but there’s another hidden bump: the elimination of 128GB models this year means the cheapest S26 is actually $200/£180 more expensive than the cheapest S25.
When I asked directly if the RAM crisis was the cause of the price increase, Samsung reps responded “No comment,” but in the context of component prices soaring thanks to AI-supercharged demand, and the 39% more powerful NPU (the neural processor that handles AI tasks) promised by the S26 line, I can’t help but assume the RAM crisis played a role.
First of many hikes
However, while Samsung won’t say “RAM crisis,” Nothing will, with its CEO Carl Pei taking to LinkedIn earlier this year to warn of such cost increases in an article bluntly titled “Why Your Next Smartphone Will Cost More.” He added that Nothing’s 2026 phones would cost more, but didn’t specify how much more.
The positive side (although not particularly bright) is that at least Pei’s 30% increase prediction didn’t come true here. Samsung’s largest percentage increase is 10%, or the $100 increase in the price of the S26 Plus over the S25 Plus.
Even though Samsung held its first Unpacked event of 2026 a little later than usual, it’s still the first major brand to unveil its new flagship phones this year, and their prices confirm what we suspected: our technology will be more expensive this year.
Because if Samsung is perhaps the first smartphone brand to increase its prices, it will not be the last. Nothing has already warned us that we should expect everyone – Oppo, OnePlus, Apple, Google and the others – to follow this trend.
It won’t stop at phones either. Devices like Valve’s Steam Machine have been caught in the RAM turmoil with delays and almost guaranteed price hikes.
So my advice would be to think twice before habitually upgrading your old technology. Consider waiting for a good deal (even until Black Friday in November), or maybe wait a little longer and hope 2027 brings better pricing news.
I’m not holding my breath thinking the AI train is going to slow down anytime soon. As for the price of RAM, I hope that’s the case, but the growing focus on AI in smartphones and overall technology suggests that this fad has legs – and it’s leading to higher costs, whether we like it or not.
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