Samsung is currently caught between a rock and a very expensive hard drive. As of Monday morning, December 29, 2025, reports from Korea indicate that the company’s Mobile Experience (MX) division is “struggling” to finalize the pricing for the Galaxy S26 series, which is now slated for a February 2026 debut.
The thing is, we’re used to seeing prices go up, but this time it’s not just about greed. Or nothing. Let’s be real, the cost of raw parts—especially memory and those high-end Snapdragon chips—has spiked so hard that Samsung is reportedly losing money on some of its other new hardware, like the Galaxy Z TriFold. Those too.
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The February 2026 Timeline
Unlike previous years where we got a January “Unpacked” event, the S26 is moving back a bit.
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Launch Event: Tentatively set for February 25, 2026, in San Francisco.
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Sale Date: Likely hitting shelves in late March.
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The Reason: Samsung is reportedly tinkering with the lineup at the last minute. After almost killing off the “Plus” model, they’ve brought it back, which pushed everything by a few weeks.
Why the Price Hike?
It’s a perfect storm of manufacturing headaches:
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Memory Shortage: The AI boom is eating all the DRAM. Chipmakers are prioritizing AI servers over smartphones, which has sent phone RAM prices up by 30–40%.
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The “Qualcomm Tax”: The upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is rumored to be one of the most expensive mobile chips ever made.
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Exynos Dilemma: To save money, Samsung wants to use its own Exynos 2600 in more regions (like India), but if they can’t get the performance right, they’ll have to pay for Qualcomm’s chips everywhere, which would force a price jump.
India Price Estimates (Based on Leaks)
| Model | Expected India Price (Starts) | Increase vs S25 |
| Galaxy S26 | ₹85,999 | ~₹5,000 |
| Galaxy S26+ | ₹1,04,999 | ~₹5,000 |
| Galaxy S26 Ultra | ₹1,34,999 | ~₹5,000 |
And here’s the kicker: even at these higher prices, analysts say Samsung’s profit margins might still shrink. It’s an ongoing situation where the tech giant is trying to lower supplier costs through “aggressive negotiations” led by MX President TM Roh, but for now, you should probably start saving that extra ₹5,000.
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