It’s been a tough few days for anyone shopping for a new Android smartphone. Samsung raised prices on its flagship Galaxy S26 lineup just a day ago, Google raised the Pixel 10a by $100, and now Samsung is back with another round of increases for its mid-range and budget Galaxy A-series phones.
The Galaxy A57 5G now starts at $599.99, up from $549.99. Further in the lineup, the Galaxy A37 5G has risen to $489.99, the Galaxy A27 5G to $379.99, and the Galaxy A17 5G to $269.99. The increases range from $20 to $50 depending on the model.
Samsung’s cheaper phones are also feeling the squeeze
The Galaxy A17 has a particularly rough run. It originally launched for $199.99, before Samsung raised it to $249.99 in August. Its latest price means the phone now costs $70 more than it did at launch.
Higher prices on the A-series stick differently because these are the phones Samsung is selling to buyers who don’t want to spend flagship money. The increases also come barely a day after most Galaxy S26 configurations went up by $100. Samsung did not say that rising memory costs are directly responsible for this particular round of A-series increases. Still, broader pressure on its phone business has been building for months.
Samsung has been warning about this for months
During its second quarter earnings call, Samsung said memory demand continues to run ahead of supply and warned that shortages could persist until 2028. The company also expects supply conditions to become even tighter in 2027, as unmet demand from this year continues.
AI data centers are the main reason memory supply is so tight. Samsung says customers are seeking multi-year supply contracts, and it plans to place about 60% to 70% of its memory capacity under long-term contracts. Higher chip prices helped its semiconductor business, but the same costs also hurt its mobile division.
Micron, another major memory manufacturer, also does not expect a quick turnaround, with demand projected to remain above supply through 2027 and 2028. So if you are already planning to buy a new smartphone, buying faster makes more sense than waiting for prices to come down and risking another hike instead.