November 5, 2025, 4:31 pm | Read time: 2 minutes

Those considering upgrading to a new smartphone in 2026 may have to brace for higher prices. The ongoing boom around artificial intelligence is driving global demand for high-performance components, leading to rising purchase prices for manufacturers.

Rising Costs for Memory and Chips

Prices for key smartphone components have increased significantly over the past year. Mobile chipsets are reportedly about 12 percent more expensive compared to 2024, and camera modules about eight percent. Prices for memory have risen particularly sharply. The commonly used LPDDR5 RAM, which is also found in Samsung’s top models, now costs over 16 percent more than last year. In addition to expensive components, higher energy and logistics costs are also impacting production.

How much the increased production costs will affect final prices is still unclear. For comparison, the suggested retail price for the Galaxy S25 is currently around 899 euros, the S25 Plus starts at 1,149 euros, and the Ultra model at about 1,449 euros. If Samsung passes the higher costs on to customers, the prices of the new Galaxy S26 series are likely to exceed these figures.

Also of interest: iPhone 17 as a model? Samsung reportedly plans a radical design update for the S26

Later Launch Date for Galaxy S26 Likely

The launch date for the Galaxy S26 might also be delayed. According to current rumors, Samsung plans to unveil the new generation on February 25, 2026–about a month later than the Galaxy S25, which was introduced in January 2025. However, the company has not yet provided an official reason for the potential delay.

With rising production costs and a later launch, the Galaxy S26 is set to be one of the most exciting and possibly most expensive smartphone launches of the coming year.