You might have to pay a bit more for a new Samsung Galaxy — but it depends on the model you’re planning to purchase.
The tech giant dropped its new line of Galaxy phones at its marquee Unpacked event on Wednesday. Samsung will start shipping the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra on March 11, and all three are available for pre-order now.
Unfortunately, the S26 and S26 plus do arrive with small price increases. Between a global memory shortage, tariffs, and inflation, the news is disappointing but not surprising.
Are there Samsung Galaxy S26 price increases?
Short answer: Yes and no.
The S25 lineup was priced at $799.99, $999.99, and $1,299.99, respectively. And here is the officially pricing for the S26 phones, via Samsung:
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Galaxy S26: $899.99
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Galaxy S26 Plus: $1,099.99
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Galaxy S26 Ultra: $1,299.99
However, there’s only one true price increase in the S26 lineup. The S26 Plus is $100 more than the S25 Plus, which was priced at $999.99. For the base model S26, Samsung has simply eliminated the low-memory version of the phone.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Credit: Chris Taylor / Mashable
With the Galaxy S25, the 128GB model started at $799.99, which is, obviously, $100 less than the cheapest S26. However, the Galaxy S26 now starts with 256GB of storage for $899.99, the same price as the equivalent version of the S25. So, the company simply cut the lowest-tier option in lieu of a true price increase.
The S26 Ultra, meanwhile, saw no price increases.
Why did Samsung Galaxy S26 prices increase?
Well, first of all, most things don’t get cheaper over time, in general. (TVs are a bizarre exception.) But it’s a particularly difficult time for tech products. AI’s proliferation has sparked a global memory shortage that shows no signs of abating, which, in turn, has driven up prices. There’s also President Donald Trump’s tariffs, which has caused a spike in tech prices, too.
So it’s no surprise Galaxy prices went up, but at least the increases were relatively small.
In addition, Samsung has eliminated its standard launch deal, which let customers who pre-ordered the new phones get double the storage at no extra cost.
Head to Mashable’s Samsung Galaxy Unpacked live blog for the latest updates as the newest Samsung products and features are unveiled.
