Samsung May Raise Galaxy S26’s Starting Price — but There’s a Catch

For several generations now, Samsung has held the Galaxy S lineup at a $799 starting price. That may change with the Galaxy S26, which is rumored to launch at $899. At first glance, that looks like a $100 price hike, but there’s an important detail that many might miss. Samsung is also doubling the base storage to 256GB.

Galaxy S26’s price hike may be somewhat justified

The smartphone industry is staring at broader price increases as component costs continue to rise. Memory prices, in particular, have skyrocketed in recent months, putting pressure on manufacturers. Despite these headwinds, Samsung may still manage to keep Galaxy S26 pricing relatively flat.

Rumors suggest the base model will ship with a price tag of $899, offering 256GB of storage. That’s a $40 hike over the 256GB Galaxy S25, which started at $859 ($799 for the 128GB variant). Considering the rising component costs, this pricing feels justified. The Galaxy S26 is also expected to offer upgrades across the battery, wireless charging, display, and cameras.

That said, Samsung may drop its popular “double storage” pre-order offer for the Galaxy S26 lineup. If that happens, buyers would get the 256GB variant at $899, rather than being upgraded to 512GB at no extra cost, which could be priced around $1,019. By comparison, Galaxy S25 buyers were able to pick up the 256GB model for just $799 during the pre-order window.

Looked at this way, the effective price increase during pre-orders does land at $100, which puts pressure on Samsung. Apple recently launched the 256GB iPhone 17 at $799, though memory prices were still reasonable when the series debuted.

A lot will depend on how Samsung prices the other two models. If the Galaxy S26 Ultra keeps a starting price of $1,299, not many might complain about a price hike for the base S26. Stay tuned for more information as the company prepares for launch in the coming months. If you plan to buy a Galaxy S26, sign up for our Mystery Box program to score free gifts, including a 65W charger.