Galaxy S26 Price Hike Looks Increasingly Likely After Xiaomi’s Move

Rumors and market research groups have been suggesting a price hike for upcoming phones for some time, and now it looks more likely than ever. Xiaomi is the first major phone maker to see a 10% increase for its flagship smartphone, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, according to Ajunews. Its predecessor launched at $924 in the domestic market, while the new model will debut at $1,000.

Could the Galaxy S26 series see a price hike? All signs suggest it will

This, if anything, confirms that Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series is also likely to see a price hike, and that now seems unavoidable. If Samsung opts for a standard 10% price hike, the Galaxy S26 Ultra could start somewhere between $1,399 and $1,449. The last time Samsung raised prices for its flagship Galaxy S lineup was with the Galaxy S23 Ultra in 2023, setting a precedent the company now appears ready to repeat.

If there is anything, or anyone, to blame for these rising prices, it is the rapid expansion of AI data centers that demand enormous processing power. This can largely be attributed to the growing popularity of AI chatbots such as Gemini, ChatGPT, Grok, and Meta AI, all of which rely on increasingly expensive infrastructure.

Adding to the problem, the data centers powering these services are expanding at a brisk pace, forcing suppliers to reallocate resources. As a result, the industry is facing a growing memory chip shortage. This also includes the mobile DRAM. Major memory manufacturers such as Crucial have already exited the consumer memory segment, further tightening supply.

The situation is so bad that Apply is already in talks with Samsung to ensure proper supply for DRAM for the iPhone 17 series as well as iPhone 18 series. Otherwise, the company wouldn’t be able to fulfill the orders. Given these conditions, other phone makers like Apple, Google, and virtually every major brand will eventually have to raise prices as well.