Samsung has officially raised prices for almost every single Galaxy S26 model, save for one. And a variant of the S26 Ultra is now $200 more expensive.
It is essentially the second price increase for the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus as both models received $100 increases at launch compared to the S25 versions. At the time, the Galaxy S26 Ultra models kept the same $1,299 starting price.
Only the more recently announced Galaxy S26 FE has kept its starting price, although it is $50 more expensive than the S25 FE.
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Model | old price | New price |
|---|---|---|
Galaxy S26 | $899 | $999 |
Galaxy S26 Plus | $1,099 | $1,199 |
Galaxy S26 Ultra | $1,299 | $1,399 |
Galaxy S26 FE | $699 | No change |
The prices listed are for the starting 256GB versions of each model. The 512GB versions of the S26 and S26 Plus now cost $1,199 and $1,399, respectively.
The Ultra models are now $1,599 for the 512GB variant and $1,999 for the 1TB, a $200 increase over the previous price.
In March, Samsung justified the first price increase by emphasizing upgrades and innovation, although company executives also admitted that the ongoing AI-created RAMageddon was to blame. Unfortunately, the RAM crisis is not going away anytime soon, and 2027 is expected by some to be worse than this year.
Next year’s Galaxy S27 has just been tipped for a price hike, but hopefully that’s based on the original S26 prices and not this new one.
What to do if you need a new Samsung phone
If you are in the market for a smartphone, my recommendation is to wait for sales and big discounts. Never pay full price.
Otherwise, Samsung offers cheaper, capable phones like its Galaxy A57 series that starts at $549. In the meantime, Amazon is still offering the Galaxy S26 Ultra at its original price. That also includes some colors of the S26 and the S26 Plus.
Or, if you wait a week, Amazon’s Prime Day sale is scheduled to start on October 6, and that sale usually has deep discounts on everything, including Samsung’s flagship phones.
Or there is Black Friday and Cyber Monday just after Thanksgiving. Either way, the infuriating trend of increasing smartphone prices continues.
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