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One of the worst things that can happen when a new phone gets released is a price hike, and sadly, that curse has affected both the Samsung Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus. Both phones have seen their respective price tags rise by $100, and according to Samsung, the ongoing RAMageddon crisis is partly to blame.
I should preface this by pointing out that the base Galaxy S26 also comes with 256GB of storage as standard, rather than the 128GB starting point for Galaxy S25. But it is still $40 more expensive than a 256GB Galaxy S26. The Galaxy S26 Plus has also had no such change, and still costs $100 more.
“We've been able to maintain prices for a pretty long time," Blackard said. "With every generation, we have to look at a variety of different factors. We've packed [in] so much innovation year after year in terms of custom processors, bigger batteries, better screen technology, improved camera technology and a lot more AI. We have to take all these into consideration and still want to provide it as the most accessible price point for consumers as possible.”
Speaking to The Verge, Won-Joon Choi, the COO of Samsung's mobile business, claims that the memory shortage has made a "significant contribution" to the higher price tag. However, other factors made their own contribution, including tariffs and the rising cost of materials.
All of these different factors are a perfect storm for price hikes, and it's a situation that isn't likely to get any better anytime soon.
The RAM crisis isn't expected to resolve until mid-next year at the very earliest, and the IDC has just issued a stark warning that we could see a 12.9% dip in smartphone shipments this year. To make matters worse, the IDC claims that the memory supply issue is easily the worst the phone industry has faced. Which makes the prospect of prices going back down after the crisis is over all the more unlikely.
If that's a reason to pick up one of the best phones now, rather than waiting a year or so, I don't know what is. In the meantime, you can learn all about the new Samsung phones in our Samsung Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus hands-on review, or the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra hands-on review if you want the most upgrades on offer.
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