Samsung Galaxy S26 launched with a price hike of Rs 13,000, which could be a major reason behind the surge
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 price hike in India reflects rising component costs and an industry-wide reset, with higher memory and chipset prices quietly changing the price of flagship smartphones.
Samsung has launched the Galaxy S26 series in India, and while the phones bring visible upgrades, the price has quietly become the bigger talking point. Compared to last year’s Galaxy S25 lineup, the new models come with significant enhancements across the board. The standard Galaxy S26 is now costlier by Rs 13,000, the S26 Plus by Rs 20,000 and the S26 Ultra by Rs 10,000. For many buyers, the jump may seem a bit steep, especially at a time when smartphone upgrades are already demanding more money.
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At first glance, it might be tempting to link the high price to headline features like Samsung’s new privacy display technology. But this alone does not fully explain the scale of the increase. The more likely reason lies deeper in the supply chain, where rising component costs are changing smartphone pricing in a way the industry hasn’t seen for years.
One major reason why phones from most of the top brands are getting expensive is
One of the biggest pressure points is memory. RAM and storage prices have risen rapidly over the past year, largely because the same components used in smartphones are now in huge demand from AI companies. These companies are buying memory in bulk to power large data centers and locking up supplies years in advance. As a result, smartphone makers are no longer the priority customers they used to be, leading to increased costs for everyone else.
Chipset is another major factor. Flagship processors have become quite expensive with each generation. Manufacturers’ costs for top-tier Snapdragon chips have steadily increased, with the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 reportedly priced between $240 and $280, according to a late 2025 estimate shared by tipster Abhishek Yadav. This is a huge jump compared to previous generations and goes a long way to explaining why premium phones are getting more expensive. This also helps explain why Samsung has limited the latest Snapdragon chip to the Galaxy S26 Ultra this year, while switching back to its own Exynos processors for the standard and Plus models in India. Last year’s Galaxy S25 series offered Snapdragon chips across the entire lineup, making the change more noticeable.
Phone price increase in 2026? A widespread industry change, not just Samsung’s problem
Samsung’s pricing strategy should also be seen in the broader context of the Indian smartphone market. Over the past year, many brands have increased prices. Phones that once sat comfortably in the Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 range are now priced closer to Rs 70,000 or more.
Take the case of iQOO. The iQOO 13 was launched in India for Rs 54,999, while its successor, the iQOO 15, was recently launched for Rs 72,999, which is an increase of Rs 18,000 over a generation. Realme has also adopted a similar path. The Realme GT 8 Pro is priced at Rs 72,999, which is significantly higher than the Realme GT 7 Pro it replaces. OnePlus has also increased prices, albeit more slowly. The OnePlus 13 was launched at Rs 69,999, and the new OnePlus 15 now starts at Rs 72,999, continuing the brand’s pattern of incremental hikes with each generation.
Perhaps the most notable example comes from Nothing. The Nothing Phone 3 was recently launched at Rs 79,999, which is significantly higher than the Nothing Phone 2’s launch price of Rs 44,999. The increase shows that even brands that have built their identity around aggressive pricing are now being forced to re-evaluate the pricing of their phones. This trend suggests that Samsung is not acting in isolation, but rather responding to industry-wide cost pressures.
Nothing CEO Carl Pei recently addressed the issue publicly, warning that 2026 could be a tough year for smartphone pricing. He pointed out that for more than a decade, phone makers have relied on falling component costs to deliver better hardware without raising prices too much. He said, this notion is no longer valid. Memory, once a relatively modest cost, is now one of the most expensive components, forcing brands to either raise prices or cut specifications.
Pei said on
In this backdrop, Samsung is probably trying to minimize the impact for early buyers. As part of its launch offer, the company is promising double the storage at the base price for a limited period. For example, buyers can get the 512GB variant at a price typically reserved for the base storage option, which offers some immediate value despite higher headline prices.
As for the standard Galaxy S26, the base variant now starts with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, priced at Rs 87,999. The higher 12GB + 512GB variant is listed at Rs 1,07,999. Under the launch offer, buyers can effectively get the 512GB model at a lower effective price, thereby reducing the gap created by the Rs 13,000 hike compared to last year’s model. However, it is important to note that this is a time bound offer. Once the promotional window ends, the real impact of the price increase will be felt more clearly, especially by buyers who do not prioritize high storage.
A similar approach applies to the Galaxy S26 Plus and S26 Ultra. The Galaxy S26 Plus is priced at Rs 1,19,999 for the 12GB + 256GB variant and Rs 1,39,999 for the 512GB variant. The Galaxy S26 Ultra starts at Rs 1,39,999 for 12GB + 256GB and goes up to Rs 1,59,999 for 512GB of storage.
For reference, the Galaxy S25 series started at Rs 80,999 for the base model, the S25 Plus was priced at Rs 99,999 and the S25 Ultra was priced at Rs 1,29,999.