Galaxy S26 could cost more: the memory crisis behind the price hikes

Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy S26 Ultra have been on the South Korean market for several months with an already established price list. However, according to an internal communication that would have been sent to telecom operators, that price list could take effect on October 1, with a uniform price increase across all three models.

Asked about the matter (by the Hansbiz outlet), Samsung neither confirmed nor denied the rumor, stating that the issue would “currently be under evaluation”.

Galaxy S26, toward a price increase in Korea: here is how much the three models would cost

The hypothetical increase would be 149.600 won, corresponding to about 96uro, identical for all three models. Galaxy S26 would thus move from 1.254.000 to 1.403.600 won (from about 807uro to about 903uro at the current exchange rate), while Galaxy S26+ would rise from 1.452.000 to 1.601.600 won (from about 934uro to about 1.030uro).

The most significant absolute increase would concern the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which would move from 1.797.400 to 1.947.000 won, thus approaching the psychological threshold of 2 million won (from about 1.156uro to about 1.252uro).

It should be stressed that these figures refer exclusively to the South Korean market, with no indication that the increase could extend to other markets.

The causes behind the possible price increase: memory chips, exchange rate and Apple competition

Behind the hypothesis of a price increase there would be three distinct factors. The first, and probably the most significant, concerns the memory price increases, in a market context that has already been nicknamed “RAMageddon” to describe how prices have risen recently.

The second factor concerns the currency pressure, with exchange rates staying high and impacting production costs.

The third reason, more strategic, would be linked to realigning towards i prices of iPhone 17: an increase of this magnitude would indeed reduce the price gap between the Galaxy S26 Ultra and rival Apple from about 200.000 won to only 40.000 won, a gap much smaller than currently.

How much could Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra cost in Italy in case of price increase

In Italy, Galaxy S26 starts at 1.029uro, Galaxy S26+ goes from 1.289uro while Galaxy S26 Ultra debuted at 1.499uro.

Applying, in purely hypothetical terms, the same percentage increase reported for Korea to each model, i.e. about +11.9% for Galaxy S26, +10.3% for Galaxy S26+ and +8.3% for Galaxy S26 Ultra, you would obtain a simulation like this: Galaxy S26 would rise to about 1.152uro, S26+ to about 1.422uro (12/256 GB) and S26 Ultra to about 1.624uro; in all cases it would be the starting 12/256 GB configuration.

It is important to be clear on one point: this is purely illustrative simulation, applying the same increase percentage reported for the Korean market to the Italian launch prices.

At the moment there is no talk of involvement of the Italian or European market in any potential increase. Also remember that regional price lists depend on factors such as VAT, duties and local commercial strategies that can differ significantly from a simple percentage calculation.

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