- Samsung will reportedly increase the price of some Galaxy S26 models
- This is likely due to increasing memory costs.
- Instead, Apple will apparently absorb the costs to keep iPhone 18 prices the same as the iPhone 17.
Depending on whether you’re an Apple fan or in the Samsung camp, the pricing news this year could be good or bad, as while Samsung is unsurprisingly reportedly raising its prices for the Galaxy S26 series, Apple may not be doing so for the iPhone 18 line.
According to data from Swedish dealers seen by WinFuture, Samsung could increase the starting price of the base model Galaxy S26 by almost 200 euros (approximately $240 / £175 / AU$340). Although you’d apparently get at least double the storage for your money, Samsung reportedly ditched the 128GB model and started the Galaxy S26 with 256GB.
For the Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus, the starting price is shown to be the same as last year, which would mean $999 / £999 / AU$1,699 if that’s true for other regions as well. But interestingly, if you choose a 512GB configuration, you’ll apparently pay €230 (around $275 / £200 / AU$390) more than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus in that configuration.
There’s better news for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, however, as its starting price will apparently be almost €100 (around $120 / £85 / AU$170) less than the $1,299 / £1,249 / AU$2,149 starting price of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
A different approach
These price changes – and particularly price increases – are almost certainly due to the rising price of RAM and flash memory. But while those memory prices will affect the entire industry, it looks like Apple could absorb the costs to increase its market share.
Some quick thoughts on Apple/iPhone memory price increases:1. The 1Q26 LPDDR price increases mentioned in the news are pretty close to what I’ve heard. NAND flash boosts, however, are a bit smaller.2. The price of iPhone memory is now negotiated quarterly instead of every six months, so…January 27, 2026
This is according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who claims that Apple’s current plan is to at least keep the starting prices of these phones stable, so it seems that versions with more storage could see a price increase.
Still, that would mean the iPhone 18 starts at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399, the iPhone 18 Pro at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,999 and the iPhone 18 Pro Max at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149. It would be great news, especially since these are far from cheap phones in the first place.
Of course, we’d take all of this with a pinch of salt for now, but at least when it comes to the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, we should find out how much these phones cost very soon, with leaks pointing to a February 25 launch.
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