Samsung Galaxy S26 price may rise as chip costs surge

Samsung Electronics may raise prices for its upcoming Galaxy S26 smartphone due to rising semiconductor costs and margin pressures across its divisions.

Co-CEO Roh Tae-moon told media ahead of CES 2026 in Las Vegas that the industry is facing an “unprecedented” pricing environment, with a sharp rise in memory chip prices driven by demand for AI infrastructure.

The price of 8Gb DDR4 DRAM has jumped from US$1.4 to US$9.3 year-on-year, according to DRAMeXchange.

The Galaxy S26, set to launch next month, will feature Samsung’s 2-nanometer Exynos 2600 chip and new AI features under the Galaxy AI brand.

Samsung plans to double the number of Galaxy devices with AI features to 800 million by the end of 2026.

Roh said the company is considering whether to charge for some Galaxy AI services in the future, with core features remaining free for now.

🔗 Source: The Korea Herald

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Mobile DRAM, not DDR4, drives Samsung’s costs

Flagship phones use mobile DRAM (LPDDR5/LPDDR5X, low-power memory standards used in smartphones) not DDR4 so a DDR4 spike does not hit their costs 1. Mobile DRAM contract prices climbed in Q4 2025 (fourth quarter of 2025) 2. They will likely keep rising into 2026 because LPDDR4X and LPDDR5X remain undersupplied 1.
Memory now makes up 10–15% of the smartphone bill of materials (BOM) and pushed unit costs up 8–10% in 2025 3. If DRAM and NAND Flash (non-volatile storage memory) keep climbing in 2026, BOM could rise another 5–7% over 2025 3.
DRAM makers are shifting lines to server and High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) to feed AI demand, which cuts supply for phones 1. Tighter output plus chipmaker bidding wars lift mobile DRAM prices and squeeze smartphone original equipment manufacturer (OEM) margins 2 4.

Refurbished platforms can win trade-ins before S26 pressure

If Samsung lifts flagship prices or charges for Galaxy AI, budget shoppers will lean on trade-ins, financing and refurbished phones to handle upfront costs.
Recommerce platforms (used-device marketplaces), carriers (mobile network operators) and retailers should track refurbished growth then time inventory builds plus promos ahead of the expected S26 launch in February 2026.
Lower tier phone brands are trimming output and raising prices across lines because memory is tight 3. Used sellers can win buyers on a budget who might have picked new entry models.
Samsung ceded the top vendor spot to Apple in 2025. Strong trade-in values for older Galaxy phones could steady loyalty if S26 gets pricier.